What I've Done
by mikromb13
Summary: COMPLETE: Zack and Cody lose everything they've ever known. Their fight for survival takes them through the dark underworld of society. Can each live with the consequences that come along with survival? Based on the song "What I've Done" by Linkin Park.
1. Prologue

**What I've Done**

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs**

**Summary: Zack and Cody are thrown into turmoil after a fire destroys everything they've ever known. Their fight for survival eventually takes them through the dark underworld of society. Can each live with the consequences that come along with survival? Based on the song "What I've Done" by ****Linkin****Park**

**Chapter 1: Prologue**

**-Cody POV-**  
_I__ leaned against a hard brick wall as I stared off into the distance, waiting. I looked down at my watch...late again...that figures. I shook my head, smiling to myself. That's gonna cost him extra. I crossed my arms as I looked down again. I glanced at the shadow I casted in the moonlight. It stretched across the alley. I laughed at the irony of this. This was my alley...anyone who thought otherwise is sadly mistaken. Of course anyone who doesn't fear me or think they have the guts to challenge me is also sadly mistaken._

_Finally a pair of headlights flashed down the alley. "About time," I muttered to myself. I slide my sunglasses on to shield my eyes from the bright lights. As the car approaches I see that its large and black. I roll my eyes. Figures...He's trying to show off again. When is he ever going to learn? Also coming from the car, I can hear the radio playing._

**In this farewell,  
Theres no blood.  
There's no alibi.**

_Finally the car's engine turns off, but the driver keeps the lights and electric system on. Smart. Soon a man steps out of the back and stumbles in front of me._

_"You're late," I muttered._

_"Yea, yea, look little boy," he began._

_"Cut the crap," I replied softly, interrupting him. "You're in my world now."_

_"Are you going to be able to handle this? I'm told you're the best there is. I get here, and I'm face to face with some kid."_

_"What's that to you?" I respond, holding my temper down._

_"I was expecting someone with more experience." He scruffed._

_"I go for quality not quantity."_

_" You better not screw this up."_

_"You got nothing to worry about there," I said. "Got the cash?"_

_"Don't mess this up," He repeated coldly, reaching into his pocket._

_"Do you need a demonstration?" I said. I took my sun glasses off, my eyes gleamed in the moonlight. After staring into his eyes for a moment he backed down. I have that effect on most people. Again, anyone who doesn't back down would have just made a very costly mistake._

**Cause I've drawn regret  
From the truth of a thousand lies**

_"Here," he growled, finally handing me a wad of cash. "Half now, half later."_

_I scanned the cash in my hand before putting it into my pocket. "Fine, just one other thing...you forgot your late fee...10 percent"_

_"I don't think so," he growled again._

_"Do you want my services or not?" I coldly reply. "You were 10 minutes late...so you owe me. I feel I'm being rather generous with this." He spat as his reached into his pocket and pulled out a few more bills and handed them to me._

_"Just remember what happens to you if my money isn't well spent." He replied, cracking a smile. However another glance from my eyes, quickly caused it to fade._

_"I wouldn't do that if I were you," I replied. "Or this job may cost you more than money. Now what is it?"_

_He goes on to explain everything to me. I mentally roll my eyes. Get to the point already. Finally he hands me a picture. I smile. "Consider it done."_

_He could tell from my eyes that I was as serious as a heart attack. He stumbled back and into his car. I knew his type. Talks big, but has nothing to back himself up with. I slide the sun glasses over my face again as the car pulls away._

**So let mercy come and wash away.  
What I've done**

_Why should someone fear me? Ha...that's a simple question to answer. I'm the most feared and dangerous bounty hunter there is...I still have yet to blow my assignment. Of course, being a bounty hunter is only the tip of the ice berg when you look at what I can or will do. Here's the real kicker to this...I'm not even sixteen yet. I will be, soon, but the number means nothing to me. I do as I wish, regardless. I take orders from one person, and one person only...me. I fear nothing. When you have nothing, you got nothing to lose...and that simple fact makes me very dangerous._

* * *

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	2. In This Farewell

**(A/N) The ending of this chapter is somewhat intense. See note at the end.**

**Chapter 2: In This Farewell**

"Hey Cody, pass it here!" Thirteen year old Zack Martin called to his twin brother. Sweat dripped down his face as Zack ran to stay slightly ahead of him. A second later, Cody flung the basketball into Zack's hands, shortly after which, Zack shot it at the basket.

_SWISH! _As if guided by a laser, the ball flew through the air on a precise track to the net and fell through the netting without ever touching the rim. Zack smiled as he and his brother ran back to half court.

"Nice shot," Cody said pounding his brother's fist.

"All in the wrist," Zack replied grinning.

The twins got down into a ready stance, but instead of dribbling out, their friend, Max picked up the ball and walked towards them. "You guys ready to call it a day?" she asked.

"Guess so," Cody replied, as he stood up and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "We play like this…that championship is in the bag."

"Yea," Zack said grinning, as he flung his hair out of his face. "And maybe your reputation will finally be outta the gutter." He laughed and went to high fived Max, but she just shook her head.

"Very funny," Cody replied rolling his eyes.

"Guess it was huh?" Zack said.

"Yea so's this," Cody responded as he flung the ball at Zack, hard. Zack flinched to protect himself, causing Max to roll her eyes again.

"Cut it out guys," she said dully. "Anyway, tomorrow's New Years, so practice again on Tuesday?"

"Sounds good," Zack said.

"All right," Cody added. "So Max, what are you doing for New Year's?"

"Dunno yet," she replied with a sigh.

"It's New Years Eve and you still don't know what you're doing?" Zack said. "Figures, typical girl." Max punched him in the arm. "Oww, what was that for?" Zack finished, massaging his arm.

"Hey I got an idea," Cody said. "How about you come over and watch the ball drop?"

"Nah," Max said. "Besides Tapeworm's going to Times Square. He said that his parents had an extra ticket so I think I'll do that."

"Really?" Zack said, somewhat disappointed.

"Yea," Max replied as she walked over and picked up her bag. The twins followed her over and gathered their stuff as well. "See ya guys next year," she joked before heading outside.

"See ya," the twins chorused.

Cody was about to finish packing his things along with the ball when Zack stopped him. "One more round of one on one?" Zack asked.

"Sure," Cody agreed as he passed Zack the ball.

* * *

After they got back to their home, the Tipton Hotel, the twins took a shower and changed, before helping their mother, Carey finish with getting ready for New Years. After a while there was a knock at the door. Zack walked over to answer it. Standing on the other side of the door way was a somewhat tall man with short black hair and an earring. He wore a black leather jacket, black t-shirt and jeans. 

"DAD!" The twins yelled as they ran over. Each leapt into his arms.

"Boys!"

"Hey Kurt," Carey said walking over. "See your flight got in ok."

"Yep," Kurt replied. "Nice and smooth…just the way I like em." He winked at Zack and Cody who laughed.

"Ahem," Carey said, raising her eyebrow.

"Um, you know," Kurt said stuttering and trying force a smile. "No turbulence. Got in ontime."

"That's good," Carey said, her eyebrow still raised. "Then you're on time to help me cook dinner."

"NO!" The twins yelled.

"How about a pizza and wings?" Kurt suggested. "They got this last minute special at Joe's Wings, 10pm-12 party sized pizza and 50 wings for ten bucks."

"THAT WORKS!" The twins yelled again in unison.

"We'll go pick it up!" Zack said with pleading eyes.

"I don't know-" Carey began.

"Come on mom," Zack continued. "We're thirteen now! Stop treating us like kids!"

"Man's got a point," Kurt added, getting another look from Carey.

"Besides mom, it's only like one or two blocks away," Cody reasoned. "You can see us from the window the whole time."

"Um…" Carey said.

"PLEASE!" The twins and Kurt said in unison. After that there was a silence that seemed to last forever.

"Fine," Carey said finally. "But call me when you get there."

"Yes!" Zack said, pulling his arms back.

Cody smiled. "Don't worry."

Carey picked up the phone to order, while Kurt helped put out bowls of chips and pretzels. Over the course of the next few hours, the twins covered the suite with New Year's decorations. The Martins' guests also arrived every few minutes, who included, Maddie, the hotel's candy counter girl, London, Mr. Tipton's daughter, and Mr. Moseby, the hotel manager. Arwin, the hotel maintenance man, also stopped by.

* * *

"This is the best show they've ever had!" Zack said as he and his brother watched the concert the station always played as part of their New Years show, which went all night, right up to the ball drop. 

"Zack, Cody!" Carey called over the TV.

"What mom?" Cody asked with a sigh.

"What is it?" Zack added without looking up.

"Well, excuse me, little men," Carey said. "But it's time to go pick up the food." She pulled a twenty out of her pocket, Zack's eyes glistened at the sight of the money, so she handed it to Cody. "Pick up some more Pepsi and Sierra Mist also, we're almost out."

"Ok," Cody said as he and Zack put on their jackets and hats.

Carey walked over and kissed each on the head.

"MOM!" The twins protested, pushing her away.

"Ok ok," Carey said sighing. "Hurry back. Love you."

"Love you!" The twins repeated in unison before closing the door behind them.

"Can you believe it?" Zack asked Cody as he hit the elevator call button.

"What?" Cody asked. The elevator doors opened and the twins walked in.

"She still thinks we're like five or something," Zack said, rolling his eyes. Suddenly something caused his nose to wrinkle.

"Only cause she cares," Cody responded rolling his eyes. He blinked. "Zack? You smell that?" He asked.

"Whoever smelt it dealt it," Zack replied, chuckling.

Cody rolled his eyes before making a face of confusion. "Not that! What is that…I know what that smell is I can't put my finger on it…"

"Maybe-" Zack began but the elevator bell cut him off, causing him to lose his train of thought. "Hey race ya there," he continued before bolting for the door, Cody close on his heels. "Excuse us!" Zack yelled again, nearly bumping into a guests.

The twins exited the hotel and turned down the street towards the pizza shop. After two steps, Cody stopped. "ZACK! Wait! I know what that smell was!" He yelled, there was a tone of fear in his voice.

Zack stopped and turned around. "What?"

"It was…" Cody began.

Suddenly there was a massive explosion. Before Zack, Cody, or anyone in the area knew what hit them, a powerful blast of hot air knocked them to the ground. Each screamed as they flew off their feet and landed flat on their back.

Time seemed to slow down. Cody groaned, as he opened one eye back up. A second later, he wished he hadn't. The Tipton, his home, was a blazing ball of intense flames. Cody's eyes continued to take in the horrible picture. Black smoke and large orange flames poured out the windows and seemed to merge with the hotel's walls. Suddenly a second explosion rocked the hotel, splitting it in two, and blasting Cody, his brother, and everyone nearby with another wave of hot air. Cody screamed as it happened.

Through his own voice, Cody could also hear other people screaming.

"SOMEONE CALL 9-1-1!"

"GET THESE PEOPLE OUT OF HERE!"

Sirens blared in the distance.

"No…" Cody mouthed, as someone pulled him back. Then he found his voice. "NOO! MY MOM AND DAD ARE IN THERE!" He tried to jerk himself away, but it was useless. The more he fought, the further he was pulled away. "NO!" Cody yelled. "YOU DON'T GET IT! MY PARENTS ARE IN THERE! WE HAVE TO SAVE THEM! NO! STOP! MOMMY! DADDY!"

"GET HIM BACK!"

Sounds blurred, screams, sirens, people crying, everything. It all seemed to blur together into one long drone. Everything moved in slow motion. Cody watched in horror as what was left of the building became little more than a huge orange and yellow tower, capped by endless black smoke that eventually blended with the night sky. Dust and debris clouded the area further.

"MOMMY!" DADDY!" Cody yelled. He glanced over to his right, and saw Zack, also being pulled away from the scene. Zack was also fighting to get back to the building, but like Cody, his effort was also futile. Cody's eyes began to glisten as tears flowed freely. "MOMMY! DADDY! MOMMY!" DADDY!" He yelled and fought until his voice and energy were gone.

Too tired to open his eyes or fight any longer, Cody felt himself suddenly get hit by a rush of cool air. Also somewhere in the background he could hear music. Since it was barely audible the lyrics were hard for him to make out.

**I'll face myself,  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself  
And let go of what I've done**

The sound continued to reach his ears until finally he lost consciousness and sank into darkness.

* * *

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**(A/N) As the characters find out in the next chapter (I figured I should note this) the cause of the explosion is a gas leak. A chain reaction causes the second. Also I tried to keep the graphic details toned down, however if this still too intense (the story is T rated for this reason and for some later events) and I'll send you an "overview" of what happens without the details. A final note, the ending of this chapter is COMPLETELY UNRELATED to 9/11. Anyway, look for the next chapter soon and again please review.**


	3. Theres No Blood

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs**

**Chapter 3: There's No Blood**

Cody stirred as he finally began waking up. He had been asleep ever since he and he brother were brought away from the Tipton's ruins to their school, which since it was vacant was converted to shelter for the victims of the explosion. Over twelve hours had passed. Although he was awake, Cody kept his eyes closed. Despite how long he was asleep, Cody still felt drained, and his throat hurt, badly. _Boy that was some nightmare! _He said to himself. _I'm still feeling the effects…maybe I'm just more tired than I thought. Yea that's it! Yesterday's practice wore me out. _He continued to tell himself that, subconsciously refusing to believe what had actually happened.

Cody started opening his eyes, but a bright light overhead forced the process to be a slow one. He also brought a hand up to his face to help shield his eyes._What the…_Cody thought to himself, confused. _Our room is never this bright!_

"Hi Cody." Cody thought he heard Zack's voice, but it was different, it was horse and distraught, as if something was very wrong. "Finally you're awake."

"Hey…" Cody replied, his voice also very horse. His throat hurt badly. His eyes completely open now, Cody looked at his surroundings. He saw several portable hospital beds set up, similar to the one he discovered he way laying in. There were also several machines and monitors next to each, along with people covered in bloody bandages. Zack sat up in the bed next to him. "Zack, where are we?" Cody asked.

"Cody…" Zack began, swallowing, "This is going to be hard…I still can't believe it…But no matter what happens, I'll take care of you."

"What?" Cody asked. "What do you mean? Where's mom? Or dad? Why are we here instead of at home?"

_He must be in denial about last night. _Zack told himself. _I still am a little myself. _Zack swallowed again, and fought back tears. He didn't want Cody to see him cry. "Cody…last night…" Zack began but his voice broke.

"What about last night?" Cody said as his eyes twisted in confusion. "I remember having this nightmare. We were going out to pick up a pizza and…and the hotel just exploded. It was awful, people screaming, sirens blaring, I'm just glad it's over."

Zack fought his tears harder, but it was a losing battle. His eyes glistened. "Cody…that…" He sniffed as a tear started rolling out of his eye. "That wasn't a dream. It actually happened. You and I are the only ones who survived. I think a few others maybe did. I don't know."

"Zack!" Cody said stunned. "Don't try to scare me like that. Mom said never to say things like that."

"Cody…I'm not joking." He sniffed again before wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Cody read his brother's face. Cody's eyes widened. "No…mom? Dad?"

"Cody…" Zack began. "They're…" His voice broke. He knew this would be hard, but he never thought it would be like this. Zack had been informed of the full gravity of the situation once he and Cody were admitted. He was still trying to accept the harsh truth. Cody had been asleep at the time. Zack pleaded with the doctor to be the one to pass the news onto Cody when he woke up. Finally after more begging, the doctor grudgingly agreed to Zack's request.

"Cody," Zack continued once he found his voice. "Cody…mom and dad…are…they are…"

"Yea?" Cody said, fear growing further and further within him.

Zack wiped his eyes again. "Cody…mom and dad are dead. Everyone we know is gone. There was an explosion… and a bad fire. They didn't make it out." Tears flowed down Zack's face as he finished.

"No…no," Cody said, taken aback. "They're at the hotel waiting for us."

"Cody…it's gone…the Tipton is gone."

"No…NO!" Cody said, his stomach in a huge knot. The truth of what had happened returned to him and hit him full force. He remembered the deafening explosion, the fire, the smoke, and worst of all, he remembered the screaming. "You're wrong Zack! I'll show you! Mom and Dad are waiting at the Tipton for us to get back!"

"Cody…" Zack said. "Please."

"NO!" Cody said, leaping out of bed despite the resulting pain. "I'll show you!" he bolted for the door.

"CODY!" Zack yelled taking off after him, the few doctors who weren't busy with other patients also gave chase.

Cody ran as fast as he could. Although he had been down this street a thousand times, it all seemed alien to him. He rounded the corner and his heart sank. Caution tape prevented anyone from getting within one block of the Tipton's site. Cody didn't need to get any closer. His mouth dropped as his eyes widened as they took in the full picture.

Where the Tipton once stood was a large pile of still smoking debris. Police cars flashed their lights while the officers secured the area. Ambulances and rescue squad cars sat nearby, their lights also flashing. Fire fighters and rescue squad workers dug through the charred, twisted metal, which was all that remained of the once proud building. The hotel's fancy wooden fixtures and interior had been consumed by the flames. Not even the front canopy was spared, and was a melted twisted frame. Pipes stuck out of the piles, several of which had large gaping holes in them.

After taking in the full sight, Cody fell to his knees, breathing in short spurts. "No…" he muttered. "It can't be…this can't be real…" The previous night's events filled his head again. "No…" His eyes filled with tears. "No…mom…dad….Maddie…no…this…" The full truth finally sank home. At that moment Cody knew he would never see his mom, dad, the Tipton, or anyone in it again. Everything he had known was gone. He brought his hands up to his eyes as he began to cry. A moment later Zack caught up to him. He too collapsed to his knees as his arms flew around his brother. Finally he also gave into his tears.

"Zack…" Cody said. "How could this have happened?" He tried to wipe his eyes but it was useless. Tears flowed like an endless fountain. "Mom…Dad…it's not fair…why Zack? Why did they leave us?"

"Cody…" Zack began, but his voice broke again. Even if he could choke the words out, he had no idea what to say. The picture spoke for itself. He joined his brother in crying harder than he ever had in his life. Like Cody, he knew they would never go home to the Tipton again.

"Come on boys, time to go." A voice said behind them. Through his blurred vision, Zack saw one of the doctors had caught up with them. He patted the twins on the back, but they refused to move, so he decided to wait a few more minutes. Finally Zack wiped his eyes and picked up his still weeping brother. Holding Cody's shoulders, he followed the doctor back.

As they got back, Cody also tried to dry his tears as he sniffed. "What's going to happen to us now?" He looked up at the doctor.

"I don't know for sure," the doctor replied solemnly. "But I know the legal people are working that out.

On their way back in, Cody looked up at one of the TVs the shelter had going with the news on it. Zack tried to steer him away, but Cody refused to budge.

"_Analysts have confirmed that the Tipton Hotel's number 2 gas line, leaked, causing a massive explosion late last night." The reporter said. "The explosion not only caused the building to burst into flames, but then caused the numbers 1, 3, and 4 tanks to also explode in a second larger explosion. As most of the hotel's rooms and suites have gas amenities available to their guests, the fire spread quickly."_

_The screen cut to a view of the Tipton. "Within seconds temperatures soared, igniting the rest of the hotel. The hotel's extensive carpeting, tapestries, and wooden carvings fed the flames further, leaving little hope of survival for those inside. It has been confirmed that some guests in the lobby we able to escape to safety. There are also accounts of a few other survivors including a set of thirteen year old twins who took residence in the hotel. However sadly it has also been confirmed that the hotel's manager, Maryan Moseby, London Tipton, heiress to the Tipton fortune, along with many other employees and guests have perished in the blaze. We'll keep you updated as more on this horrible tragedy unfolds."_

Cody finally looked away, Zack put his arm around his brother.

"Zack and Cody Martin?" A man said as he approached them. He wore a blue suit and red tie. His graying hair indicated he was middle-aged. He also had a briefcase with him.

"Yea?" Zack replied.

"I'm Steven Reed, social worker." He answered. He then swallowed. "I'm sorry about your parents, but that is also why I am here."

"Oh," Zack said. "What's going to happen to us?" Cody looked up also.

"I'm working out the final details for you two to stay at an orphanage on the other side of town," Steven explained. "Boston Haven Orphanage, it usually is able to keep siblings together, especially after a tragedy like this. They also have an integrated school, so your education won't lag behind. It's the best place of its kind-"

"How can anywhere like that be good?" Cody snapped. Zack looked at him, shocked. Even when Cody was angry, his voice never sounded like that.

"It's a roof, hot meals, and still a shot at an education," Steven replied. He tried to keep his voice patient, knowing through his work what the twins' situation was like. "That's better than most have it. Anyway we should get final confirmation this afternoon."

Cody opened his mouth to snap again, but Zack cut him off. "Ok, thanks." He knew Cody was delirious now and not thinking straight. Zack hurt too. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, but he knew it wouldn't do his younger brother any good to see Zack show his pain also. Zack pulled Cody close to him. "Happy New Year, little bro," he said softly.

"Whatever," Cody replied darkly as he pulled his knees to his chest. "Zack everyone we know is dead. Our home is destroyed. How can I ever be happy again?"

"I know," Zack said. "I'm hurting too,"

"I guess at least we still have each other," Cody responded quietly.

"Yea," Zack said. "and I'll take care of you, little brother. I promise, I'll never leave you."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

* * *

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	4. Theres No Alibi

**Chapter 4: There's No Alibi**

Cody didn't speak at all the rest of the day. He spent the whole day staring out the window in the direction of where the Tipton had once been. Soon the sun began to set, painting the sky, snow on the ground, and buildings with different shades of orange, yellow and red. Cody turned and walked away from the window, he had seen enough of those colors to last him. He continued to walk until he found a secluded corner, where he sat down and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Cody?" A familiar voice said. Cody looked up and saw Zack holding two trays. Each had a half full plate of chicken tenders and fries. There was also a carton of fruit juice on each along with some ketchup packets. Zack lowered one of the trays down to Cody as he also sat down. "Here ya go Cody," Zack said softly.

"I'm not hungry," Cody replied. He turned away from the tray.

"Come on Cody," Zack continued. "You haven't had anything all day. You gotta eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Cody repeated. "You have it." He pushed the tray away again.

Zack took a bite out of one of the tenders. "It's good," he said persuasively.

"Whatever," Cody said. He shook his head. "Zack, how can you eat after what happened? I'm sick to my stomach over it."

Zack sighed. "I know Cody, I know. This is the worst pain I've ever felt. I also know it won't ever go away. But I also know Mom and Dad wouldn't want us to stop living."

"I guess," Cody said. He picked up one of the tenders and took a bite. "You lied Zack."

"Huh?"

"You said they were good," Cody continued. "This tastes like rubber."

Zack smiled slightly for the first time all day. "I know, but do you really think you have wanted to eat them if I said they tasted like that?"

"Guess not," Cody said also cracking a smile before taking another bite.

The twins continued to eat their dinner in silence. Every once in a while, one would sniffle a little as they thought about their parents, friends, and all the fun they had at the hotel.

Finally Cody broke the silence. "Hey Zack," he said. "Remember the time we opened up that night club in the lounge?"

"Yea," Zack replied. "That was awesome. Remember when Maddie told us to watch her daycare?"

"Ha yea," Cody said. "Or remember how we'd always go through the air vents to-" His voice broke. He remembered how the fire had spread in the gas line in a similar way to how the twins would use the air vents to get around. His eyes started to water.

Zack saw this. "Hey, it's getting kinda late, how about we head off to bed?" He suggested, picking up his tray.

"Ok," Cody replied as he sniffled. He picked up his own tray and handed it to Zack.

"Thanks."

Cody nodded as he and Zack turned and began to walk back towards their beds. On their way over they met Steven again. "So boys, I finalized a few things, and I'll be taking you to the orphanage on Sunday. The memorial services are also going to be on Sunday, so we'll go there, pick up some lunch, then head over to the orphanage. How does that sound?"

"Ok," Zack said. Cody nodded as if he also approved.

"Good, I'll see you then, good night guys," Steven said before walking away.

"'Night," Zack said, then he and Cody settled down on their respective beds.

"Zack?" Cody asked. "Are you scared? About this place we're going to?"

"I don't know," Zack said, trying to sound somewhat confident. "I'm sure things will work out eventually."

"Ok," Cody replied, yawning. He laid his head down, his eyelids slowly sliding over his eyes. "Good night Zack."

"Good night Cody," Zack said. Within a few seconds, he could hear his brother snoring softly. Zack however didn't feel tired. He sighed as he walked over to the window and stared outside. _I am scared Cody. More scared that you could ever imagine. _Zack thought to himself._ I have no idea what's going to happen to us or if things will ever be right again. But let me worry about that. I know you need me to take care of you, so I can't show my fear._ _You're strong little brother, you give me my strength. Keep it up. I know one day we'll get through this…I hope._

* * *

Finally Sunday came. Steven picked Zack and Cody up at 8:30 so they had plenty of time to make it to the 9:00am service. Since Zack and Cody had lost all their clothes and possessions in the fire, Steven also brought some donated dress clothes for them to wear at the service.

The service itself opened with a reading of a list of all known victims and people still missing from the tragedy. This was followed by some prayers and a tribute to the Tipton's most predominant figures such as London and Mr. Moseby. The speech given for London lasted over a half hour, and was obviously "juiced up" because of her celebrity status. Carey, Maddie, and Arwin however had only been mentioned briefly in special tribute for Tipton employees near the end of the service. The service then concluded with a candle lighting ceremony, moment of silence, and final prayer. Plans were also announced for a memorial to be built in the local cemetery.

Afterward, Steven, Zack and Cody stopped at a local Burger King. Steven bought each of the twins a hamburger, fries, and drink. He watched as the twins ate in silence, each of their eyes still glistening from the service. Every once in a while, one would also wipe his eyes or blow his nose. Finally they were on their way to orphanage, which Steven pointed out when they got close.

The orphanage was a complex of building set up as a quad with a courtyard. All the buildings were gray and composed of concrete blocks. A black metal fence enclosed the whole area. A path extended from the largest building in the back and spread out like the spokes on a bicycle to the other buildings and to the front gate, which also had a small gate house next to it. Over the gate itself, gold letters spelled out, "BOSTON HAVEN."

Steven parked the car and led Zack and Cody over to the gate house. Through the bars, Zack and Cody could see some kids playing dodge ball in the middle of the courtyard. One team wore red team flags, the other wore blue. Zack stopped to watch them. Most of the kids looked pretty decent at the game. Zack's eyes then fell on what looked like a set of twin girls. Each had black hair with a strand of hair that fell into one of their eyes. One of the girls had a red stand, the other had a purple stand. The girls also looked like they were clearly dominating the game.

"Zack," Steven said, turning around. Cody also stopped. Zack took one last look before hurrying to catch up with them. Once Steven felt he was close enough, he began walking again.

Steven showed the gate attendant his ID, who then opened the gate and let them in. Their first stop was the main office, which was located in the first building on the left. As they walked over, Zack and Cody made eye contact with a few of the kids, including the two girls. The one with the red stand caught Zack's eye, while the one with the purple stand caught Cody's. After a quick exchange of glances, Zack and Cody followed Steven into the office.

"Hi Shirley," Steven said to the secretary sitting at a desk inside the building. She was a younger woman, that looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had straight red hair and freckles. She also had green eyes.

"Hey Steve," Shirley replied. "What can we do for you today?"

"Is John in? These are the twins I called about, Zack and Cody Martin." He pointed to Zack then Cody. "Zack, Cody, this is Miss Patterson."

Each of the twins nodded their heads "hi."

"Shirley," Shirley said. "I try to stay on a first name basis with people around here."

The twins nodded again.

"A little shy?" Shirley said with a smile. "It's ok, anyway Steve, yea go right in."

"Ok, thanks," Steve said. He motioned to Zack and Cody. "Come on boys." Zack and Cody followed him past Shirley's desk and into another office.

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**(A/N) The twin girls playing dodge ball (With the red and purple hair strands) belong to Darkelements10. Please Read and Review**


	5. Cause I've Drawn Regret

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs. Sorry it took a little to get this up. Enjoy.**

**Chapter 5: Cause I've Drawn Regret**

The next office had a tan colored carpet, with dark blue wall paper that went about half way up the wall. At that point there was a stained wooden fitting followed by an off white, textured wall paper that continued up to the ceiling. On it was a pattern of 16th century maps and ships. Along parts of the walls were dark cherry wood bookshelves loaded with different books. There was a gold telescope, globe and ship sculpture, one in each of the corners. Located in back of the office in front of the windows was desk with a name plate that said, "MR. JOHN BUBBLER," on it.

Sitting at the desk was a larger, somewhat wiry man with a very round head. He had brown hair combed over with what looked like way too much gel. He had glasses with gold rims and was clean shaven. He wore a dark blue suit with a gold watch on his left wrist.

"John," Steve said walking in and shaking his hand. "Here are the boys I called about, Zackary and Cody Martin." Next he looked at Zack and Cody. "Boys, this is Mr. Bubbler."

Zack's lip twitched slightly at the name. "Hi," he muttered. Cody merely nodded his head.

Mr. Bubbler noticed Zack's lip, but ignored it as he shook his head slightly. "Zackary, Cody, welcome to Boston Haven. I am regretful to hear about your situation, but hopefully you'll learn to love this place as a second home." He tapped his desk drawer. "Of course, for those who don't, we have a very effective education program." Steve looked at him. "Love and care are the best teachers there are. As you will find, we have plenty of that here!"

Cody looked from the desk to Mr. Bubbler, as he did so, a dark look crossed his face. Neither Mr. Bubbler nor Steve however seemed to notice.

"We also have a school here, as I'm sure he's told you. So you boys will be well off there," Mr. Bubbler continued. "Sometimes I think we turn out better students than most schools out there." He looked at Cody. "I heard you are very good at school, so I'll expect nothing less here."

Cody didn't respond.

"Isn't that right?" Mr. Bubbler continued to prod.

"Yes sir," Cody finally said just above a whisper.

"Good," Mr. Bubbler finished, coming out from behind the desk, and wrapping his arms around Zack and Cody's shoulders. "Thanks again Steve, it's always a pleasure to meet new aspiring youth. Now come along boys, I'll show you where you'll be staying."

"Well boys," Steve said. "This is where I leave you. I'll be in touch every once in awhile. I know you two will be very happy here." He extended his hand towards Zack and Cody.

"That's right," Mr. Bubbler added with a smile. "Say bye now."

"Bye," Zack said softly, shaking Steve's hand.

"Bye and thanks," Cody said, finally speaking again. He also shook Steve's hand.

Steve walked out of the office, followed by Mr. Bubbler who still had his arms around each of Zack and Cody's shoulders. They walked by Shirley again who was busy with her paper work.

"See ya round Shirley," Steve said as he passed her desk.

"Later Steve," she replied without looking up.

Once outside, after a final wave, Steve headed back towards the parking lot. Mr. Bubbler however led Zack and Cody towards the side of the building where there was another door that led to a closet. Mr. Bubbler pulled out his keys and opened the door. Inside were suitcases and backpacks piled neatly on shelves that lined the inside. A majority of the shelf space was empty though.

Mr. Bubbler looked at Cody. "We only have larger sizes right now but you'll grow." Next he looked at Zack. "You should be fine," he said with a smile as a laugh to himself.

He handed Zack and Cody a suitcase from the second to last shelf along with a backpack. Each twin looked curiously at the packages before swinging the backpacks on and picking up the suit case.

"Now listen up," Mr. Bubbler said. "The suitcases contain three sets of clothes, you are expected to do your own laundry at least once per week. If you don't know how, learn. The backpacks have your school supplies. There are folders, paper, pens and pencils, and everything you'll need in there. In the first folder is a copy of your schedule." He began to lead the twins towards the largest building in the complex, which was the dormitory. "We have classes 10 hours a day, three days a week. You will either have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Class begins precisely at 7am, and will continue until 12pm. Then you will have exactly one hour for lunch. Class will then continue until 6pm. Dinner is at 6:30 pm. You will also have 10 minutes between each class."

Zack looked at him. "You have class on Saturday?"

"Yes," Mr. Bubbler said without looking at him. "The other three days you are expected to study for at least four hours. You will also use that time to complete your assignments. You will also spend at least one hour some sort of physical activity. The rest of those days is yours to spend as you wish. Any questions? No? Good."

They continued to walk in silence until reaching the dormitory. They climbed up four flights of stairs to a main hallway with two other doors on it, one on each side. "The left is the boys wing, right is the girls. No co-head activity is allowed in the dorms after 9pm until 7am. Understood?" Mr. Bubbler said glaringly at the twins.

"Yes sir," the twins replied softly in unison.

"Good, now you two seem like good boys so I don't think we'll have any problems. Am I right?" Mr. Bubbler continued in a similar tone. The twins nodded. "Good." Mr. Bubbler finished. He led them into their side.

Inside, there was a closed room just inside the door. The rest of the wing had beds lined up in two rows. In the back were a few wooden tables and chairs. With the exception of a few boys sitting at the table or taking a nap, the wing was pretty much empty. Mr. Bubbler knocked on the door to the closed room. "You boys are very lucky," Mr. Bubbler said as they waited for the door to be answered. "Your Wing Master happens to also be my son."

The door opened revealing a just a few inches shorter than Mr. Bubbler. He had brown hair wore in a mushroom cut, and dark brown eyes. "Yes sir?" The boy asked.

"Zackary, Cody," Mr. Bubbler said. "This is my son, Matt."

"Hi," Matt said.

Zack and Cody both just nodded.

"Your Wing Master, is in charge of your wing. Simple enough? You will listen to him, and any disputes should be brought to him first. Understood?"

Zack and Cody nodded.

"Good," Mr. Bubbler continued. "Well I've got to get back to my work. Matt will show you the ropes. None better to do so, I promise you that." With that Mr. Bubbler turned and left.

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**Please Read and Review. Although the Matt in this story is basically the same as the one from my other series, the stories are completely unrelated. Also the Matt in this story is alive.  
**


	6. From the Truth

**(A/N) I only own my own OCs**

**Chapter 6: From the Truth**

The boys stood in silence, which was soon broken by Matt. "I'll show you where you two are going to sleep," he said. There was a tone of arrogance in his voice. He led the twins through the hall and around a corner. The next room had several beds lined up in two rows that faced each other. Under each bed was a trunk. "These are your beds. The trunks are for your clothes," he said pointing at the two bare beds at the end of the wing. "Put your stuff down and I'll show you around. You can unpack when I'm done." Zack and Cody each put their suitcase and backpack on their bed before following Matt out of the room.

Matt showed the twins around the wing. The whole time, he talked as if he owned the place. Zack growled under his breath, he could already tell they weren't going to get along. Cody remained silent but Zack could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"This is the lounge," Matt said opening another door. Inside were a couple of couches and chairs as well as a small TV. "This is where most people choose to do their homework. Course if your grades start to slip, you'll lose that privilege understood?"

Neither of the twins said anything.

"Good," Matt said after looking at each one. "As for the TV, there's a pre-set schedule. During your time, you can watch whatever you want. Of course in certain situations, that is overruled."

"Like what?" Cody asked. Zack just looked at him.

"Again if your grades slip, or we have some disciplinary issues with you, you lose your TV privileges." Matt answered. "To avoid any arguments, I get your time slot."

"How is that fair?" Zack asked, a dark tone in his voice.

"It's simple," Matt replied with a sigh. "I'm wing master and I say so. But consider yourself lucky that's all that happens, some of the wing masters aren't as nice as I am."

Zack was about to open his mouth to retort, but Cody grabbed his arm. Zack stayed quiet as the boys followed Matt back towards his room.

"Any other questions?" Matt asked. "Good." He finished before either twin had the chance to say anything. Without another word, he turned around and walked into his room. Zack and Cody walked back to the bed wing to unpack their stuff.

The twins unpacked their suit cases and got changed. "I hate him," Zack said as he pulled his shirt over his head.

"What?" Cody replied, his response muffled by his head also being inside his shirt. He pulled his arms through the loose sleeves. His collar hung by his shoulder, barely staying on. Zack's clothes were also loose however they were still a much better fit.

"I hate him," Zack repeated.

Cody sighed. "I hear you, but we've only been here one day, so don't go getting us in trouble already."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Fine," he said grudgingly. "But he better not start anything." He and Cody finished getting changed before packing the rest of their clothes into the trunk under their beds. Each wore a white, collared button down shirt with short sleeves, over a black tank, as well as dark blue pants. Each also had a dark blue hoodie in their suit case for colder weather. They still wore their old sneakers and Zack wore a baseball cap that his dad had given him.

Suddenly the sound of kids running and chatting caught their attention. The twins headed back out back out to the hall just as a group of kids disappeared into their wings, leaving two girls alone in the hall. Zack recognized them as the same ones from before. The one with the red hair strand tossed a dodge ball up and down to herself as the girl with the purple strand stretched her arms and put them behind her head.

"They didn't stand a chance," the girl with the red hair strand said.

"Serious," the girl with the purple strand replied. "They should just give it up now."

"Man, she's hot," Zack said softly to Cody as he peaked around the corner.

"You think every girl you see is hot," Cody replied, rolling his eyes.

"Not really," Zack replied out of the corner of his mouth. "Take half the girls you've gone out with for example."

Cody rolled his eyes again. "Not now Zack."

Zack was silent for a second as he looked back at his brother. "Yea, guess not," Zack said softly. The events of that morning were still fresh in each of their minds. Cody was finally starting to cheer up a little, so Zack decided to let the joke go.

"Hey she's got a twin, bet she'd definitely go for you," Zack said.

"Ook," Cody replied. Cody tried to lean forward for a better look. His foot got caught on his baggy pants and he fell forward, taking Zack with him. The twins fell hard on the floor, creating a loud crash that instantly caused the two girls to look in their direction. The twins each rubbed their heads and made a sheepish face as the girls approached.

"Who are you?" The girl with the red stand asked, tucking the ball under her arm.

"Zack," Zack replied. "This is my brother, Cody. We're twins."

"We figured that," The girl with the purple strand said. She looked at Cody who quickly diverted his eyes away. "I'm Rhuben, this is my twin sister, Riley."

"H-hi," Cody said. "We just got here."

"I figured you were the newbies walking with Mr. Blubber," Riley said, crossing her arms.

Zack looked up. "Who?"

"Not too bright are ya?" Riley responded, rolling her eyes. "Mr. Bubbler."

"Or Mr. Blabber," Rhuben added. "That works too. You meet that dipshit son of his yet?"

"Matt?" Cody replied. "He's our wing master."

"Sucks for you," Riley said.

"Don't rub it in," Zack replied cooly. He then winked at Riley. "So how would you like to be my personal wing master?"

Riley sighed and looked at Rhuben, who smiled devilishly. She then beamed Zack with the dodge ball, which then slammed into his stomach.

"Oww," Zack said through a look of pain. He was doubled over, clutching his stomach. "What was that for?"

"I've heard all the lame pick up lines I can handle for a life time," Riley replied dully.

"I guess you two need someone to show you how things really work around here," Rhuben said. She then looked at Riley. "Guess it's up to us."

"Guess so," Riley replied.

"W-what do you mean?" Cody said as Rhuben helped him up.

"You'll see," Rhuben said.

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**Please Read and Review. Riley and Rhuben belong to Darkelements10  
**


	7. Of A Thousand Lies

**Chapter 7: Of A Thousand Lies**

Cody walked along with Riley and Rhuben. Zack followed grudgingly. He wasn't in the mood to get shown up on his first day there. "So what happened to you?" Rhuben asked Cody.

"Our parents died," Zack replied. "Thanks for bringing it up again."

"Obviously, or you wouldn't be here," Riley snapped back as she spun around. "Everyone's who here lost their parents. That's why it's called an orphanage." Her eyes glisten slightly, as if her comment hurt her just as much.

Cody looked at her, his mouth hung open. A second later he found his voice. "Our home blew up." Riley and Rhuben looked at them.

"Wait a second," Rhuben said. "Are you guys the one from that hotel?"

"Yes," Zack snapped.

Riley scuffed at him. "That sucks, but don't expect any celebrity treatment while you're here. Like I said, we all suffered through it, so the quicker you get over it, the better off you'll be." She turned around again.

Zack made a face, but stopped. _She must be attracted to me, but she's just trying to put on a tough girl act. Ok, I'll play._

"So I guess your attacted to me then," Zack said cockily to Riley.

"WHAT?" Riley and Rhuben chorused. "Don't make me laugh!" Riley finished on her own.

"Well, why else would you be taking us under your wing?" Zack said, tilting his head to one side.

"To make sure you don't end up getting yourself killed," Riley said. She looked Zack right in the eye. His mouth hung slightly. "Oh yea, it's happened."

"You're lying!" Zack said. Cody also opened his mouth to say something, but decided to let Zack do the talking.

"Don't call my sister a liar," Rhuben snapped.

Riley smiled. "Don't worry about it Rhuben, the newbies will find out on their own soon enough." She looked back at Zack. "Let me make something else clear to you, Mr. Blubber, the wing masters, they don't care about us. All we mean to them is more funding. You could jump out your window now and all they'd do about it is clear your bed for the next newbie."

"What?" Cody asked stunned. Zack started to say something also, but Riley beat him to it.

"You actually think they meant everything they said when you first got here?" Riley said, crossing her arms. "You definitely got another thing coming."

"Thanks for the tip," Zack snapped. "But we can take care of ourselves."

"That I'll enjoy watching," Riley snapped. "I'm done wasting my breath on these newbies, come on Rhuben." With that, Riley scuffed and went back into her wing, soon followed by Rhuben.

"Come on Cody," Zack said. "Don't listen to them." He grabbed his brother and began to lead him the other way, back to their own wing which happened to be on the same floor. He opened the door to let him and Cody in before slamming it behind them, something he would regret a moment later.

At the sound of the slamming door, Matt came out of his room. "What's with the noise out here?" He snapped. Next he looked at Zack and Cody. "Course I shouldn't have to ask. All I have to see is two newbies and I have my answer."

"It wasn't our fault," Cody said quietly.

"Wow so you actually do speak," Matt said. "So tell me, who's fault was it? Did the wind just magically slam the door shut?" He pushed Cody, who a second later stumbled back. "Huh?"

"Hey!" Zack said. "Don't touch him."

"Oh yea tough guy?" Matt said. "What are you going to do about it?" He picked Cody up by his collar and threw him back. Cody's head slammed into a nearby table, before the rest of him fell hard to the floor. Pain exploded through him. Cody held his eye with his hands as tears formed.

"HEY!" Zack yelled he went to push Matt. Matt simply moved back and threw Zack to the floor.

"I think you forget who's in charge around here," Matt snickered. "This is my wing, the sooner you get used to it, the better friends we'll be." He looked at Cody. "Now what happened to you?"

"YOU PUSHED HIM!" Zack snapped.

"Excuse me?" Matt said. "But I asked him." He looked dangerously at Cody. "Now what happened to you?"

"I-I fell," Cody whispered.

"That's too bad to hear," Matt said. He took a piece of paper out of his pocket, scribbled on it and handed it to Cody. "Go to the nurse's to get cleaned up. Hurry up, I'm sure dinner will be ready soon. And you," Matt looked at Zack. "Help him get there. Ground floor, second hall on the right." With that he went back into his room and slammed the door behind him.

Zack shot one last dirty look at Matt, but he was already inside his room. Next, Zack turned back to Cody, who was still sniffling as he held his head in pain. "Hey buddy," Zack said softly as he helped Cody up. "You ok?"

Cody sniffled a few times, as he nodded "yes," to Zack. He wiped his eyes with one of his hands while the other still held his head.

Zack pulled Cody's hand away to look at the cut. "You're bleeding," Zack said, concerned.

"Let's just get to the nurse's office," Cody groaned. Zack nodded as he helped Cody though the halls and down the stairs.

At the nurse's office, Zack helped Cody in as he handed the nurse the paper Matt had written on. She shook her head as she got an ice pack and a towel for Cody. "Hold this on it for 20 minutes, I'll be back to finish you up then."

"Thanks," Cody nodded as he set the towel and ice pack on his head. Zack sat next to him, but soon he had to run to the bathroom, leaving Cody alone.

"See what we were saying?" A voice said suddenly. Cody looked up and saw that the voice belonged to Rhuben.

"What do you mean?" Cody asked looking at her. She walked over and sat down next to him.

"You could hear the crash all the way from our side," Rhuben said. "But by the looks of things you got off light."

"Really?"

"Matt has quite a temper," Rhuben said with a sigh. "He's broken kids' bones before. Like I said, looks like you got off pretty light."

"Why doesn't anyone do anything about this?" Cody asked.

"What can they do? His dad runs the place," Rhuben said. "And to everyone out there, things are perfectly normal."

"I guess," Cody sighed. Next he turned to Rhuben. "Anyway, what about you guys? How'd you and your sister end up here?"

Rhuben ignored the question. "So anyone show you around yet?"

"Just Mr. Bubbler-,"

"Blabber," Rhuben corrected him. "Let me guess, he pointed to a few buildings, took you to that shed, gave you your stuff, and brought you right to your wing?" Cody didn't say anything but he didn't have to. His expression told Rhuben all she wanted to know. "Figures."

Suddenly a loud buzz came from several speakers located on the ceiling. "Attention! Attention!" Mr. Bubbler's voice came through the speaker. "The time is now 6:15 please begin making your way to the cafeteria. I heard it's beef and potatoes night, I'm sure no one wants to miss that!"

Rhuben rolled her eyes. "Yea whatever," she muttered as she got up. "Anyway, meet me outside the cafeteria at 7pm." Her tone said that Cody didn't have a choice in the matter and that he had better be there.

Cody nodded fearfully. "Ok, see ya then." He said, but Rhuben was already gone.

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**Please Read and Review. **


	8. So Let Mercy Come

**Chapter 8: So Let Mercy Come**

Zack came back and sat next to Cody who continued to hold the ice on his head. "I'm gonna get him," Cody heard him mutter as he sat down.

"Zack," Cody muttered. "Please, don't, just let it go."

"Cody," Zack replied, his voice annoyed. "I'm not going to sit back and let you get beat up. I told you I'd protect you now, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Zack," Cody said, sighing. "All you're going to do is cause more trouble for yourself. Apparently that kid can get away with whatever he wants, just let it go."

"Cody," Zack began, but he was cut off by the nurse walking back in. She took the ice away. Cody winced as she wiped some disinfectant on his cut, after which put a bandage on it. She told him to be more careful in the future and sent the twins on their way.

"Fine, let's just go get dinner, I'm starving." Zack said, not trying to hide the anger in his voice. Matt had hurt his little brother, and regardless of what Cody said, he wasn't going to let him get away with it.

The twins walked to the cafeteria in silence. In the dying sunlight, the twins crossed the complex. The temperature was also dropping. Once inside, both Zack and Cody rubbed their arms for warmth. Inside the cafeteria were several rows of long tables, along with a few circular ones in between. There were two serving lines, each located in opposite directions at the back of the room. Each of the twins took a quick look around before grabbing their trays, glasses, and silverware and joining the serving line.

"Well," Zack said as the twins came up to the line. "At least the food doesn't look that bad." In front of them were several trays filled with small steak fillets covered in gravy. Next to these were containers of peas and mashed potatoes. Each of the twins was handed one fillet as well as a serving of mashed potatoes and peas. Each was also given a spoonful of gravy as well as a pint of fruit juice.

"Thanks," Cody muttered to the servers. Zack nodded his thanks. The twins then turned as the looked for an open spot at one of the tables. Along the way they saw Riley and Rhuben. Riley gave Zack a look before returning to her food. Rhuben did the same to Cody. "Zack," Cody continued. "Let's sit over there."

"What by them?" Zack asked.

"Yes."

Zack rolled his eyes. "Fine." The twins walked over to where Riley and Rhuben were sitting. The girls slid over to make room for them.

"Hey," Cody said as he and Zack sat down.

The girls nodded their response. Riley then took a second look at Cody, her eyes fell on the bandage just above his eye. She gave him one last look before looking at Rhuben, who nodded.

Zack stared momentarily at his food. He was still angry about what Matt had done to Cody.

"Zack?" Cody asked. "You ok?"

"I'm gonna get him," Zack muttered, he stabbed his food with his fork. "I swear, I'm gonna get him."

"Zack just let it go."

"You'd best listen to him," Riley interjected suddenly, drawing yet another look from both twins.

"What do you mean?" Zack responded.

"If you retaliate," Rhuben continued. "It's only going to make it worse. That kid has a bad temper."

"Plus his dad owns the place," Riley finished. "So there's nothing you can do. Let's say you actually do get him back, he'll just come back at you twice as hard."

"I'm not going to let this go," Zack replied, anger starting to build inside him. He promised Cody that he'd take care of him from now on, and that was a promise he definitely wasn't going to break.

Riley rolled her eyes. "You're about as stubborn as they come aren't you?"

Zack smiled at her flirtatiously. "That's right."

"It's your funeral," Riley muttered as she rolled her eyes again. For the next few moments the kids ate in silence. "You're just not going to listen are you?" She finished after swallowing a piece of steak.

"What are you my mother?" Zack said.

"Obviously not," Riley replied dully as she got up. Zack followed her before breaking off to the food line..

Rhuben looked over at Cody. "Come on," she said firmly. Cody looked in Zack's direction, his face unsure. One more look at Rhuben however told him he didn't have a choice so he got up and followed her out the door.

Once outside, Rhuben turned him around. "Look, just make sure your brother doesn't do anything stupid. You'll suffer just as much."

Cody nodded as he shivered in the cold. His breath formed a cloud in front of his face. "O-ok," he finally replied.

"Anyway, you want to find out where they keep the good food?" Rhuben asked.

"T-that was pretty good," Cody said.

"Yea, except you'll feel it again later on," Rhuben said. "I mean like the desserts and stuff. Me and Riley figured this out within our first week here." She took him around the back of the building. They went in a hall with several metal doors in it. Cody was relieved to be inside again but he didn't have much time to show it as he tried to keep up with Rhuben.

Rhuben counted the doors on the right of the hall. Suddenly she stopped. "Here we are," she said. She then looked at Cody. "You say anything about this you're dead, got it?"

"Y-yes," Cody replied with a gulp. "But aren't you afraid of getting caught?"

"No one ever does."

"Oh."

"Anyway," Rhuben said as she opened the door. "This is the wingmasters' food supply they get their own separate shipment. You want some ice cream?" Cody looked at her as she walked over to a box in the corner and pulled out two ice cream sandwiches. She went to hand one to Cody but pulled it back before he could grab it. "Just remember what happens to you if you rat me out."

"I-I-I got it,"

She looked in his eyes for another second before handing him the ice cream sandwich. Cody started to unwrap it, but he quickly stopped as a look of guilt washed over his face. "Don't you feel bad about taking these though? I mean its theirs," Cody said as he set the sandwich back down.

"Please," Rhuben said with a roll of her eyes. "With all they do to us, it's the least we can do to get back at them." Cody looked at her. "But if you don't want it, I'll save yours for later."

"S-sorry," Cody replied.

Rhuben sighed. "Look Cody, you care about others. That's a good trait to have. I haven't seen it around here for a long time. But this place isn't like the outside world. It's survival of the fittest. No one cares about you here."

"Zack does."

"Then he's going to be the only one," Rhuben continued. You guys are lucky you're twins. Same goes for Riley and me. But no one outside the two of you is going to look out for you, you're going to have to learn to fend for yourselves." Her face darkened. "_They,_" she continued with her obvious hatred for Mr. Blabber and the wingmasters, "just make sure you stay alive, and do a sucky job at that too."

"Well I care about you," Cody blurted out before he could stop himself.

Rhuben stayed silent for a few seconds, as if wondering how to answer him. "That's good to know," Rhuben said. "But I wouldn't suggest it."

"Why?" Cody replied, his face turning red.

"Simply put," Rhuben continued. "It's like I said you have to watch out for yourself. Look Cody, you seem like a good kid, but trust me, this place is going to destroy that. If you're gonna survive this place, you can't let yourself go soft. Also no offense, but if it came down to it, nice as you seem, I'd choose my sister over you any day. I'd also expect that you would side with your twin over me."

"Yea, I guess." Cody responded in a dull tone. He knew Rhuben was right. He picked up the ice cream sandwich and began to eat it.

* * *

**Please Read and Review. Sorry it took so long to get this up, hope it was worth the wait.  
**


	9. And Wash Away

**Chapter 9: And Wash Away**

Rhuben cracked the door open, checking to make sure the hallway was completely clear. Next she motioned to Cody who quickly followed her back into the hall. The two crept along, heading for the exit.

"Hey!" A voice suddenly yelled as a figure came around the corner at the far end of the hall.

"RUN!" Rhuben quickly said to Cody before taking off in the opposite direction. He didn't need to be told twice.

Cody did his best to keep up with Rhuben. "Please slow down!" He breathed to himself as he pushed himself harder. With each plea however it seemed like she would go faster and faster. Cody continued to follow her as she weaved through several hallways and rooms. He began to feel himself slow down as he began to reach his physical limits. Rhuben however seemed to just be getting warmed up as her pace constantly increased.

"Please slow down!" Cody said through heavy breathing. Rhuben looked back and for a moment seemed to come to a stop.

The sound of footsteps in the distance however quickly caused her to change her mind. Their number continued to multiply as if more and more people were chasing them. "Uh, I don't think so," Rhuben spat as she sped off again.

Cody groaned, his legs burning. The increasing frequency of footsteps in the background motivated him to keep going, but he began to wonder how much longer until his legs gave out. The gap between him and Rhuben continued to grow. Soon however the two could see the door to the outside.

"We're almost there," Cody told himself. Suddenly the ground seemed to give out beneath him as he tripped and came crashing down. At the last second, Cody put his hands out to catch himself. Pain exploded through his palms as they impacted the cold, hard floor.

The crash caused Rhuben to turn around. "Come on!" She hissed to Cody. She looked up and saw a shadow rounding the far corner. "Come on!" She repeated as she began to take off for the door.

Cody groaned, but he knew he had to keep going. With all his strength he pushed himself back into a running position and took off after Rhuben. Finally the two were outside. The cold hit their faces as if they each had just dove into a snow back. However after sweating through the halls, they welcomed the cold night air. Once on the side of the building, the kids stopped to catch their breath.

"No one ever gets caught huh?" Cody said to Rhuben.

"Shut it," She replied. She then reached out. "Give me your hands." Cody did as he was told. Rhuben looked at the red marks on each of his palm as she lightly touched his joints. Cody winced slightly each time.

"You'll be fine," Rhuben said finally. "Nothing's broken." She let go of his hands. "Come on we better get back." Cody nodded in agreement. They walked in silence across the complex and back to the dorms.

"So you actually do care about me," Cody said finally as they neared the building.

"Come again?" Rhuben replied dully as she raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't leave me."

Rhuben smiled slightly. "Guess not, or maybe you just got lucky. Either way, it was in my best interests to make sure you got out too, so don't think anything of it."

Cody smiled. "Ok," he muttered.

"I'm serious, DON'T!" Rhuben said, stepping forward, blocking Cody's path.

"Ok, I got it."

Rhuben gave Cody another scanning look before continuing forward. Cody and Rhuben silently made their way up the stairs to their wing. However neither was happy to see who was waiting for them. Cody opened the door to their hall to see Matt standing there. "Oh boy," Cody muttered to himself.

"A bit late isn't it?" Matt said as he crossed his arms.

"What are you?" Rhuben snapped. "The welcoming committee?"

Matt's face darkened. "In here," he motioned to his wing. "Both of you." Cody began to inch forward, but a tap from Rhuben on the back of his shoulder told him to stay put.

"I thought you'd know the rules by now," Rhuben said. "No girls in the boys' dorms after dark. Looks like your minds' finally going."

"Don't push your luck," Matt said coolly. "You're in enough trouble as it is, so I'd suggest you shut your mouth."

Rhuben cracked a small smile as she rolled her eyes. "Aw," she said in a mockingly caring voice. "What'd we do this time?"

Matt ignored her and then looked at Cody. "And you, twice in one day, boy you're fitting right in aren't you?"

Cody looked at him, narrowing his eyes. "What'd we do?" He said, for a second though he was almost shocked that he had talked back to Matt. Also for a split second, Matt's face seemed to hold a similar expression but it faded almost as fast as it came.

"You'll find out soon enough," Matt said. He opened the door. "After you." He sneered.

"Guilty until proven innocent," Rhuben replied. She then cracked another smile. "How kind of you…slime ball." She muttered the last part so only Cody heard it.

They walked into Matt's wing closely followed by Matt. Sitting at a nearby table were both Zack and Riley. Mr. Bubbler stood next to them. Cody's mouth dropped when he saw Zack's face. His cheeks were both red as if someone had constantly slapped him. "Zack…" Cody muttered.

"Sit down," Mr. Bubbler said gruffly. Matt shoved them into chairs at the opposite end of the table.

"Well, well, it sounds like we had a fun night," Mr. Bubbler continued, as he rounded on Cody and Rhuben. "Stealing food from the pantry, that's a hard one to accept, given we feed you ungrateful brats so well here."

Rhuben and Cody looked up at him. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" Cody said, drawing a somewhat surprised look from Zack as well as Rhuben.

"DON"T LIE TO ME!" Mr. Bubbler said. He slapped Cody hard across the face, causing him to jerk violently and nearly fall out of his chair. Riley and Rhuben winced when they heard the hand connect with Cody's face.

"Cody…" Rhuben muttered under her breath.

"HEY!" Zack snapped, as he went to get up. Matt however threw him back down into his chair, causing him to hit his head on the table. Zack groaned as he grabbed his head and looked up.

"You just don't learn," Matt sneered to Zack as he restrained him violently in his chair.

Mr. Bubbler looked over before continuing with Cody. "Now are we ready to tell the truth?" He said, his temper rising in his voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Cody repeated. Mr. Bubbler growled angrily before slapping Cody again, this time knocking him out of his chair. He then kicked Cody in the stomach, causing him to gasp in pain.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Zack yelled when he saw his little brother fall to the floor. He fought against Matt, trying to get to Cody. Finally Matt hit him hard on the back of his head. Zack slumped unconscious in his chair. The last thing he heard was Cody scream again.

* * *

Zack groaned as he stirred softly.

"I think he's finally waking up," a voice said softly over him.

"He is too," another voice said. The two voices sounded familiar, Zack just couldn't figure out who they belonged to.

Zack finally opened his eyes, his vision, blurred. His head hurt. He groaned again as he blinked twice, clearing his vision. Sitting near him was Riley. "Bout time," she muttered, but a small smile cracked across her face. Zack could see several red marks on her face.

"C-Cody?" Zack said weakly. "W-w-where's C-Cody?"

"He's fine," Riley said. "Over there." She pointed to where her sister was hunched over a nearly identical copy of Zack. Zack saw his little brother stirring as Rhuben helped him.

The group was back in the nurses' office. Cody had another bandage on his cheek and Riley and Rhuben each had a few minor bruises. Zack had a small gauze pad, located just above his ear. Since the nurses had turned in for the night, the four kids sat alone on the beds located in her office.

Rhuben continued to help Cody until finally he was able to get to a sitting position, after which she helped him over to the bed Zack was lying on. Zack also sat up to make room for Cody.

"Well, looks like you two are going to live," Riley said.

"Yea, thanks," Cody replied with a cough. Rhuben nodded.

"The only thing is," Riley began again. "One of you is leaving."

Zack and Cody looked at her, stunned. "W-what?" Cody asked. "W-what do you mean?"

Rhuben sighed. "There's sending one of you to another orphanage," she said. "I don't know which one or which one of you, but they're going to make you leave tomorrow."

Zack looked at her in disbelief. "How do you know this?"

"I overhead Mr. Blubber talking to dipshit," Riley replied.

"Who?" Zack said, his eyes confused.

"His son," Riley said with a roll of her eyes. "Matt. They were talking about how you two were going to get split up. They think you're too much trouble together."

At the mention of his name, Zack's fist clenched in rage. He began to shake with anger. Cody stared down in disbelief. "It's all my fault," he muttered.

"No it's not," Rhuben said, over hearing him. "I told you, this is how they are. Remember I told you no one would care about you except Zack?" Cody nodded. "Well that's one of the ways they stay in control of us. So they saw you two were united, so that's probably why they're doing this."

"Not if we can help it," Zack said.

"What are you two going to do?" Riley asked. "It's not like you can do anything about it."

"Yes we can," Cody replied. The others looked at him. His ripped one of the bandages off. "I'm done staying here. I'm leaving." Zack stared at him.

"C-Cody?" Zack said in disbelief.

"We're running away," Cody said to Zack. Zack continued to stare at him for a second, but then nodded.

"Where are you two going to go?" Riley asked.

"I don't know," Cody replied.

"Anywhere but here," Zack finished.

Riley and Rhuben looked at them. "Looks like we taught them well," Riley said with a smirk.

"Yea, only took 1 day," Rhuben responded. The girls then looked at them. "Sounds like a plan except for one minor detail."

"What?" Cody asked.

"We're coming too."

* * *

**Please Read and Review**


	10. Put to Rest

**Chapter 10: Put to Rest**

**-Cody POV-**

_I continue to watch the car as it disappears from sight, smiling slightly to myself. I pick up the picture again, glancing at it briefly before sliding it into my pocket. "This is going to be fun," I mutter to myself, as I hop over the fence at the back of my alley._

_As I walk down the street, I glance at my watch. This again makes me smile. Anyone else my age would have to be crazy to walk down this street at this time at night. Again though, neither number matters to me. Also, simply put, I'm not everyone else…I'm me. Finally I come up on the place I'm looking for. I open the door._

_Inside the atmosphere is thick with the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol. I leave my sunglasses on as a shield for my eyes, despite the only light in the room coming from a few neon signs as well as a couple of dim overhead lights by the bartender's station. Around me, several people are slumped in their chairs. "I think it's about time for you to go home," I silently mutter to myself as I look at each. A few others are hunched over on stools by the bar. My presence draws looks from a couple of them, but I ignore them._

"_One coke," I say to the bartender, dropping a couple of dollars down. He takes them and after a look at me, he complies with my request. I look around, my target should be by any moment now…_

* * *

**-Normal POV-**

Zack and Cody looked at Riley and Rhuben for a second. The look on the girls' faces was final, so each nodded before climbing down.

"All right, let's go," Cody said. "First we gotta stop back in our wings."

"What for?" Zack asked.

"Our stuff," Cody replied. The girls also nodded. With that, the four of them stealthily made their way back up to their wings.

"Meet us back in the hall in five minutes," Riley said when they each were outside their respective wings.

The twins each nodded again as Cody slowly opened the door to their side. Everything was dark with the exception of the moonlight that shone through the windows. Peering down to the beds, the twins could see that everyone had long ago gone to bed. Zack slid in front of Cody and began to silently make his way towards his bed. He then motioned for Cody to follow.

"Only take essentials," Cody whispered. With that he opened his backpack and dumped nearly everything into his trunk with the exception of some pens and a notepad. Next he grabbed his old clothes as well as a few new ones. He looked up as he zipped the backpack's pockets shut, the entire time taking extra care to do so as quietly as possible.

Zack also finished up. "Let's go," he mouthed to Cody.

After moving stealthily back through the wing, the twins softly closed the door behind them. A moment later they were met by Riley and Rhuben. The kids silently crept back towards the stairs and down them. This time around however, it felt as if the hall was much louder than before. Every time one of them stepped it seemed like another portion would creak. They took turns twisting around each time this happened, making care sure that no one was following them.

"Whew," Zack said one they got outside. "Glad that's over." He sighed, filled with relief.

"Don't celebrate yet," Riley said. "That was the easy part. Now we have to get across the complex. The fence is the lowest near the parking lot."

"That doesn't seem too bad," Zack replied.

"Except for that," Cody said, his eyes widening. He pointed to a golf cart driving near one of the other buildings.

"They patrol this place at night," Rhuben said.

"Follow us," Riley said, crouching down as she began to move towards the side of the building.

"You've done this before?" Zack asked raising an eyebrow.

"Once or twice," Rhuben replied with a smile. "The trick is not to get caught."

"Like with the food?" Cody said, also cracking a small smile.

"That reminds me," Rhuben said. She motioned to Riley. "We should make a small trip to the kitchen before we book."

"Sure," Riley replied.

"They're not going to leave that door unlocked after what happened earlier," Cody said. "You guys know another way in?"

"What don't we know about this place?" Rhuben said to Riley.

"Nothing," Riley said. She moved further along the side of the building, making sure to stay low, the others followed suit. Suddenly Riley motioned for them to flatten themselves against the wall as a light flashed by. Cody held his breath as the snow in front of him illuminated. Finally the light passed as he and Zack let out a sigh of relief. "Come on," Riley said a second later.

Crouching down, the group continued to make their way across the complex. Every so often they would stop to avoid the headlights of another patrol cart. Finally they reached the kitchen. Cody tried the door, even though he had a strong feeling that it would be locked. "Yep, it's locked," he said turning to the others.

"That's why we're going in this way," Riley replied. She moved further down the building until she came across a window. Using some pipes on the wall for support she pulled herself to the window ledge. Next she took a kitchen knife out of her pocket and began to slide it through the window crack. Finally the locks popped and she slid inside. A second later she opened the door for the others.

The kids raided the snack boxes. They also grabbed some soup cans. "We can probably use these for something," Cody said as he put two cans into his backpack. "Everyone ready to go?" He asked as he zipped his bag up. The others nodded as they made their way back outside. On their way out, each took extra care to avoid the patrol lights. "This place is like a prison," Cody muttered to himself. He held the door for Zack, Riley, and Rhuben, before gently closing it behind him.

Suddenly Cody saw his shadow fall straight ahead on the wall in front of him. Despite the cold night air, sweat dripped down his face. In the corner of his eye, he could see a bright light. "Oh no," he said fearfully, his breath making a large cloud of mist in front of him. Cody turned his head to see a pair of bright lights rushing towards him.

"Go!" he said as he and the others took off for the space behind the buildings. The kids bolted behind the buildings, all the while glancing to see where the patrol carts were. The carts paralleled their path, following them on the complex's main walkways.

"This way," Riley said turning towards the fence. The others followed her, and came to a stop at the fence. "We're going to have to hop it here."

Rhuben went first. She shimmied up the fence's metal bars. "There's a tree on the other side," she called back. "Use that to climb down." After descending down a few branches, she leapt down and hid behind the tree.

"You're next," Zack said firmly to Riley. She looked at him for a second, but the look in his eyes was final. She nodded and followed her sister. A moment later, Riley was safe on the other side and also behind the tree.

Cody's eyes widened as the approaching light drew closer. He realized that the tree wasn't going to be able to hide all of them, especially with the growing number of carts chasing them. He also saw a cart heading for the gate, as if to head off "whoever" was sneaking around the complex. "Rhuben, Riley, GO!" Cody said quickly. "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE!"

Riley also saw the cart heading towards them. "Hurry up! Come on guys!" Both she and Rhuben were hesitant to leave them. "What about you?" Riley said, fear in her eyes.

"We'll catch up! Get out of here!"

"But-" Rhuben also looked at him. Time was running out.

"JUST GO!"

Zack motioned to Cody. "Come on Cody, go!" He began to help his brother up the fence.

Cody looked at the oncoming lights. On both sides they were drawing closer. "Rhuben! Riley! Don't worry about us! Just GET OUT OF HERE!" He shot a determined look at each of them.

"Meet us two streets over," Riley said. "You have two minutes," she added with a smile.

"Good luck," Rhuben said. With that, her and Riley turned and ran.

"Good luck," Cody said quietly as he climbed the fence. "What about you?" he said quickly, looking at Zack, who was still on the ground.

"Just go," Zack hissed. "I'll be right behind you."

Cody nodded as he swung himself over the fence and onto the tree. Next he started to climb down, but his foot slipped on a patch of ice on the branch. Cody quickly braced himself as he started to swing. Air left him in deep gasps, as Cody attempted to catch his breath from the initial shock. Sweat dripped down his forehead as well as formed on his palms, making it more difficult to hold his grip.

Zack looked up and realized Cody was in trouble. "Cody!" he said worried.

Cody continued to slip. "Help me!" he said, wrapping his arms around the branch. His feet continued to dangle.

'I'm coming Cody!" Zack said, climbing as quickly as possible. He reached the top just as the carts were beginning to near the fence. He braced himself against fence and a tree branch as he reached out. "Grab my hand!"

Hooking one arm around the branch, Cody reached over and grabbed Zack's hand. His other arm finally lost its grip pulling him and Zack down, hard.

Lucky for Cody, his foot caught the fence a second later, steadying him. Finally able to regain his balance, Cody began to climb down. Once at a safe height, he let go and fell to the ground. His legs buckled under him, causing him to fall on his back. All though his backpack helped soften the blow, he still gulped as the wind was knocked from his body. Cody coughed in pain as he slowly opened his eyes. Despite the pain, he knew they had to get out of there.

A moment later, Cody heard several loud cracks and saw someone fall near him. A second look told him it was Zack, who was now on the ground, with a face of pure agony. Cody's eyes widened, the pain disappearing from him as adrenaline began to fill his blood vessels. "Zack!" Cody said. "Come on." He helped his brother up. Zack's knees shook badly. "Come on big bro! We're almost out!" Cradling Zack on his shoulder, he bolted through the trees to the road. Breathing heavily, he stopped in the next alley.

'We…made…it…Zack…" Cody said between breaths as a look around told him no one was chasing them anymore. He slid Zack off his shoulder.

"Y-yea," Zack replied in a shaky voice. Cody's eyes widened at what he saw next. Zack began to shake violently, his legs buckling under his weight. A second later, they began to give out.

"ZACK!" Cody said rushing forward. He caught his brother, slowing his fall to the ground. Cody cradled his brother in his arms. "Z-Zack," he said fearfully. "Zack, what's wrong?"

Zack ignored the question. "A-are you ok?" he said. It seemed like he had to fight to get the words out.

'Forget about me!" Cody snapped. "What's wr-" His voice broke. Cody felt something jagged and wooden poking his hand. "No…" Cody muttered. Cody looked down and saw something dark red oozing from his brother's body and onto his hand. It was blood…Zack's blood."Zack!" Cody gasped.

"I-I-I'm ok," Zack said in a pain filled voice. "Don't worry…I-I'll be ok. It'll be ok…"

"Zack," Cody began again, tears threatening his eyes. "Come on! We have to get you help, NOW!" He tried to lift Zack up. Zack groaned loudly in pain, so Cody brought him back down, still cradling him in his arms.

Zack coughed and struggled, pain filled his eyes. "I can't…" he mumbled. His breathing fell to gasps. He coughed softly.

"No! ZACK!" Cody said, tears filled his eyes. "DON'T SAY THAT!"

"I'm sorry Cody," Zack said, his voice falling. He coughed again, his breathing falling. Color also steadily drained from his face.

"No, Zack please…" Cody said, tears now falling steadily. "Please don't die. You're all I have left. Please." He looked into his brother's eyes. Zack held eye contact for a second before closing his eyes. His breathing continued to weaken. Cody hugged his brother's body close, shaking slightly himself.

Zack slightly reopened one eye. Shaking, he slowly raised his hand up, lightly clutching his brother's shoulder. "C-Cody," he said softly.

"I'm here Zack," Cody said swallowing deeply. "Please stay with me. Please, please." He continued to cry. "Please don't leave me. Please…you…you're all I have left. Please. I couldn't go on without you. Please."

"I…love…you…" Zack said weakly. "little…brother…please…don't…cry." Each word was a fight. "I-t's…ok….it'll…be…ok."

"This is all my fault!" Cody said. "I'm sorry Zack. I love you! Please don't die! Please! I need you! Please!"

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Zack said with a cough. "Please...promise me..."

"Anything..." Cody fought the word out through his tears.

"P-p-promise...me...you'll...stay...strong...Cody...you'll...go on...you...won't...ever...give...in."

"Zack..."

"P-please...C-C-Cody..."

Cody sniffled as the tears continued. "I promise Zack."

Zack smiled slightly. "…I…love…you…" His eyes closed as his last breath softly left his body. His arm rested on Cody's shoulder, lifeless.

"ZACK! NO! PLEASE!" Cody said, crying harder than he ever had, even harder than he did at the funeral for everyone who died at the Tipton. "PLEASE COME BACK! PLEASE! ZACK!" He clutched Zack's body as he cried harder and harder. "No…Zack, you promised, you promised…you…promised." He laid his head down on Zack's chest. "Please big brother…please."

Cody tightly clutched Zack's hand in his. He never felt so alone. Pain tore through him. It was the worst pain he had ever felt, the worst he could have ever imagined. It tore through his very being. Cody continued to cry softly as he finally sat himself up, pulling his knees to his chest. As much as he didn't want to, he knew his brother wanted him to keep looking forward. He was on his own...he would have to face the world…alone.

* * *

**(A/N) The beginning of this chapter was a continuation of the prologue and takes place at the same time. The rest of this chapter takes place in line with the rest of the story. Please don't be too mad at me for killing Zack. Please Read and Review**


	11. What You Thought of Me

**Chapter 11: What You Thought of Me**

Cody continued to sit next to his brother's body, staring off into the distance. It was almost as if he was in another world. As if nothing around him was real…it was just some nightmare. The Tipton, the orphanage, Zack…it was as all some horrible dream. The worst part was Cody knew it wasn't a dream, his mind just continued to deny the actual truth.

He sat there, silently weeping for his brother. The cold night air caused his wet cheeks to sting, but he didn't care. The physical pain was nothing compared to the pain he felt inside. In just a few days' time, he had gone from having everything a teenage boy could want, to losing everything he'd ever known or loved. It just wasn't fair, none of it. Zack was supposed to take care of him…instead it was like he deserted him. The unfairness ripped Cody's insides, tearing his very being to shreds. A new thought then entered Cody's mind, if the world was going to turn its back on him, he would do so also. Nothing mattered anymore.

"Cody?" A voice said near him. Cody shifted his eyes and saw Rhuben and Riley standing there. He didn't bother to move his head. "Are you guys ok?" Rhuben continued. "We waited forever and-"

"Zack isn't," Cody replied coldly. The girls looked at him with widened eyes. "He died…died saving me."

"What do you-" Riley began, but then her voice broke. In the moonlight she saw the red on his hoodie, the paleness of his lifeless face. A look of shock fell over her face. "What happened?" She asked, her voice just above a whisper."

"What does it matter?" Cody snapped. His voice was as cold as ever. The tone in his voice started the twin girls. Despite only having known him the one day, neither could have ever imagined that Cody was capable of such coldness.

"Cody…" Rhuben said when she found her voice. "I'm sorry." She said compassionately.

"We know how you feel," Riley said. "It hurts losing your family."

"No you don't," Cody said, a tone of anger in his voice.

"Cody-" Rhuben began.

"NO! NO! YOU DON'T!" Cody yelled cutting her off. He shook with anger as he stood up and faced them. "You lost your parents a long time ago! But that aside, you still have each other! You don't know what I'm going through right now! I HAVE NO ONE! NO ONE! EVERYONE I LOVE IS DEAD! AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I COULDN'T SAVE THEM! AND ZACK DIED SAVING ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S LIKE!" Tears began to drip out of his eyes again. He shook more and more violently.

"Yes I do Cody," Riley said. Cody looked at her with hard, still tearing eyes. "Cody look, our parents died in a fire also. A fire I caused. That's something I've had to live with every day of my life. You couldn't control what happened at the Tipton-just like I couldn't control what happened then. It's hard to live with, trust me, but you still got to pick up the pieces and move on."

"Cody what happened isn't your fault," Rhuben said. "It's no one's fault, its just…these things happen." Tears began to jerk her eyes. Although she barely knew him, she still had begun to develop a soft spot for him. She could see the pain he was in, and now it hurt her to see how angry he was.

Cody sniffled as tears began once again to flow out of his eyes. "It just sucks," he said, his legs buckling. Crying again, Cody lowered himself to the ground and sat down. Riley and Rhuben knelt down with him. "Zack promised…he promised me…he…" Cody voice broke again.

Rhuben put her hand on his back. "Just let it out," she said.

"He promised he'd take care of me…that'd he'd always be there for me," Cody continued sobbing. His hand shook. He thought about how Zack had lied to him…Zack promised he'd always be there but he was gone now. Feelings of anger and betrayal surged through Cody's body. "But he lied…he lied to me…" the feelings continued to build up until Cody thought he was going to explode. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS ZACK? WHY'D YOU ABANDON ME? JUST LIKE MOM AND DAD! ALL OF YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS?" Cody yelled at the top of his lungs, trying to release his anger. He punched the snow. "WHAT DID I DO TO YOU? YOU ALL JUST LEFT ME! I HATE YOU! I HAAAAAATE YOUUUUU!" He yelled through his tears as he began to cough.

"Cody," Rhuben said, attempting to comfort him. "Calm down, please. Calm down." The tone and anger in his voice scared her.

"You're going to make yourself sick," Riley said warningly.

"WHY'D YOU LIE TO ME ZACK?" Cody yelled as he continued to cough, despite Riley and Rhuben's warnings. "WHY? HUH? WHY? WHY?" Cody coughed loudly on the third, his stomach retching. After another cough, Cody threw up violently. His face was red but his stomach still didn't stop. He heaved over and over, finally spitting up some blood. He fell forward, using his arms for support, which shook badly. He continued to cough. The more he coughed the angrier he became. It was a vicious, endless cycle.

"Cody!" Rhuben said. "Come on, we have to get you help!" She reached over to help him, but Cody swatted her hand away.

"Leave me alone!" He choked out.

"Cody…" Riley said, also trying to help him.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Cody yelled, falling forward. "BOTH OF YOU! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Rhuben reached for him again, but Riley motioned to her. "Wait till he calms down a little," she said softly. Rhuben grudgingly agreed. With that the two left the alley, for a hiding place in a nearby warehouse. The two girls however still kept a concerned watch on Cody.

Cody coughed as he pulled himself to a dry spot on the side of the alley. He felt exhausted, like all his energy had vanished. It was the same feeling from that night…the night the Tipton exploded. The harder he fought, the more futile the effort became. Finally he collapsed on the dry patch and blacked out into a troubled slumber.

* * *

**(A/N) If you thought Zack dying was a "curve ball" I hope this chapter somewhat cleared it up. Also re-read the ends of the Prologue and Chapter 3. You'll see that it had to happen sooner or later. There are also a few other clues, but I think I'll let you find those on your own. Please Read and Review.**


	12. While I Cleaned This Slate

**Chapter 12: Well I Cleaned This Slate**

Cody continued to shiver in his sleep as a dream entered his head.

"_Come on Cody!" Ten year old Zack Martin yelled, smacking his baseball glove. "Right down the pipe!" Zack crouched down into a catcher's stance, smacking his glove again._

_Cody took a deep breath, his eyes glued on his target. He wound up, set, and flung his arm forward, hurling a baseball towards his brother. Unfortunately, the ball sailed way over its target as Zack leapt up in an effort to catch it. Unable to reach it in time, the ball continued to fly into some bushes. Cody groaned to himself and kicked the ground in frustration as he watched his brother search for the ball._

"_GOT IT!" Zack yelled a few seconds later._

"_Great," Cody said, frustrated. He kicked the dirt again._

_Zack put the ball in his glove as he jogged over to Cody. "Well, that one was almost in the strike zone," Zack said with a smile._

"_Thanks," Cody replied. "But no it wasn't."_

"_Well the last one went over the fence, so you're getting better."_

_Cody sighed. "Not good enough to start tomorrow. I'm going to look like a fool." He covered his face with his glove in frustration._

_Zack put his hand on Cody's shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. You're going to be fine. You're just thinking too hard." Zack took a deep breath. "What do you think about when you throw the ball?"_

"_Please God let it go somewhere near the glove."_

"_See?"_

"_See what?" Cody's eyebrows twisted in confusion._

"_Don't think about it, just throw the ball." Zack handed Cody the baseball again and smacked his glove. "Come on Codester," Zack said, looking at Cody as he jogged back to the sewer plate they were using as a home plate. He smacked his glove a couple more times before crouching down again._

_Cody took another deep breath. He cleared his thoughts, wound up, set, and hurled the ball at its target. The ball flew, and a half second later, was trapped in the palm of Zack's glove. _

"_Oww," Zack said, taking off his mitt and rubbing his hand. Cody smiled to himself, realizing that not only had the ball flown straight at its target, but had enough "zip" on it to make Zack's hand hurt. Zack however also smiled. "Nice Cody!" He yelled, throwing the ball back. "Come on two more just like it!"_

_Cody cleared his thoughts again and sent two more heaters right at Zack. "STRIKE THREE!!" Zack yelled after the second. He then made a "third strike" motion, similar to that of most Major League umpires. Zack then jogged back to over to Cody, who was wearing a smile that seemed too big for his face._

"_Just do that tomorrow, and we'll definitely win!" Zack said slapping his brother on the back. "And at least…"_

"_What?" Cody asked._

"_At least I'll be wearing equipment then," Zack said. "Pitch like that, and I'm gonna need it."_

_Cody smiled again as the twins began to walk back home to their grandma's. "Hey Zack?" Cody asked when they got there._

"_Yea?"_

"_You think mom will be back in time to watch me?"_

"_I hope so Cody…"_

* * *

"Cody…Cody…Cody…" A voice said as Cody's mind faded back to reality. He felt someone gently shaking him.

"Huh? What?" Cody said groggily. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open. He rubbed his eyes as Rhuben's face swam into view. Blurry at first, but then it became clearer and clearer.

"Cody," Rhuben said again. "Thank God you're finally awake."

"W-What?" Cody said again as his surrounding came into view. He was inside of warehouse of some sort. It had clearly been abandoned long ago because the windows were broken and clouded with dust. Their remainders had boards stretched across them. Sunlight however still found several ways in. Old wooden crates and plywood were stacked everywhere. He looked down and realized he was laying on a couple of level piles as well. "W-where am I? How'd I get here? The last thing I remember I was-"

"We brought you here," Riley said, walking up to and standing next to her sister. The twin girls then sat down on a crate near him. "You were in pretty rough shape last night."

Rhuben nodded. "We carried you in here after you blacked out."

"Why?" Cody asked, still somewhat dazed.

"You would have frozen to death out there," Rhuben replied as if it were obvious. "You were shivering really badly when we picked you up. For a moment I thought you were going to die too."

Still somewhat confused, Cody racked his brain for answers. Ever since Zack had died, he hadn't been thinking straight. He remembered being chased, hopping the fence, nearly falling to his death, and Zack…Zack saving him, just as he slipped...the motion that would cost Zack his life so he could save Cody's. Suddenly, all the memories returned and hit Cody full force. He snapped up. "Why did you save me? Why didn't you just let me die?"

"Cody, we couldn't do that," Rhuben replied.

"That should be obvious," Riley finished.

"At least I'd be with Zack again…and mom…dad…Maddie…all of them…" Cody said, his voice growing quieter and quieter.

Rhuben sat next to Cody and put her arm around his shoulders. "You haveta stop blaming yourself Cody, it wasn't your fault." She finished in a firm tone. "You haveta learn to let these things go. It hurts, trust me."

Cody looked up at her, then down for a second, as if he entered his own world.

"_P-p-promise...me...you'll...stay...strong...Cody...you'll...go on...you...won't...ever...give...in…" Zack fought to force the words out through his last breaths_

"_Zack…"_

"_P-Please C-Cody…"_

_Cody sniffled as the tears continued. "I promise Zack."_

"I promise Zack…" Cody repeated to himself. "I promise…" The girls looked at him, each slightly confused. Cody looked up. "I promised Zack I'd stay strong…for him…I'd keep fighting." He took a deep breath. He looked up, his eyes meeting theirs. "Thanks for saving me, I guess." He finally cracked a small smile.

"No problem," Riley replied.

"You would have done the same for us," Rhuben added.

"Besides," Riley said. "Least we could do for you guys helping us escape."

As what was left of the day progressed, the kids stayed in the warehouse due to its warmer atmosphere, as opposed to the bitter January cold outside. Cody however did leave once to visit his brother. Knowing that involving the police or anyone that could allow a proper burial for Zack would cause him to land back at the orphanage, Cody stealthily carried him to a nearby cemetery, where with the help of Riley and Rhuben, he found a somewhat suitable resting place for Zack.

In order to dig a grave for him, Cody slipped to the cemetery shed and stole a shovel. After which, each took turns digging until the hole was large enough. After one last tearful good bye, Cody marked the sight with a few tree branches. He knew eventually the branches would get knocked away by the elements, so he burned the spot into his memory. "Good bye Zack," Cody choked to himself, wiping his eyes again. He refused to cry anymore.

Once back at the warehouse, Cody took out some of the soup cans they had taken. Using an also stolen can opener and box of matches, he cooked the soup for the girls and himself.

"So what are you guys going to do now?" Cody asked, sitting down. He set the stolen shovel down next to him.

"Dunno," Riley replied.

"Probably head out to LA eventually," Rhuben said.

"What's in LA?" Cody asked curiously.

"That orphanage wasn't the first one we've been to," Riley continued. "We first went to an orphanage out there."

"While we were there, we heard some rumors that our brother might still be alive," Rhuben added. "So we tried to run away and find him, but got caught before we could. Not much longer after that, we were sent out here."

"Oh," Cody replied.

"What about you?" Riley asked.

"I don't know," Cody said.

"Don't you have anyone anywhere?" Rhuben asked.

"No, everyone I know is dead," Cody replied. He then looked up. "And with the way things are going, unless you two get away from me soon, the same will probably happen to you."

"Are you still blaming yourself?" Riley asked, looking sternly at Cody. "Come on, that's just crazy." Rhuben had also looked up and now nodded in agreement.

"Yea, I guess," Cody muttered.

Eventually, the long day took its toll on them and each laid out a makeshift bed of clothes from their backpacks. Riley and Rhuben fell asleep rather quickly, after having been up most the night before watching Cody, making sure he didn't die.

Cody however was wide awake. He continued to lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. He was grateful for what Riley and Rhuben had done, but knew they, like Zack, couldn't take care of him forever. It was them against the world, how long would it be until he "fell" again, costing one of them their lives as well?

The questions continued to whirl around in Cody's mind. As they did, his anger from the night before began to resurface. Soon it filled his mind, clouding his thoughts. It also formed a cocoon around his heart, hardening it. Coldness and bitterness filled him soon afterward. What had he ever done to deserve such unfair treatment? Why did the world seem to do everything in its power to destroy everything he loved? The questions swirled in his mind. Cody eventually came to a single conclusion; it was him, him against the world…and he would win. He was entirely alone. No more would he be the weak little boy dependant on others…no he would fight for himself now. Anyone who stood in his way would be sorry.

Finally Cody sat up. "Thanks guys, but I've got to be on my own," Cody muttered softly. Stealthily, he picked up his clothes and filled his backpack with them. "Good luck…find your family…one day maybe you'll be happy. I know I'll never be." Cody finished. He walked over to the door as his fire began to die. Finally after one last look, he walked out, the warmth in his heart dying along with the last embers.

He was alone…him against the world. He would fight…and he would win…no matter what it took.

* * *

**(A/N) If this chapter was confusing, go back and "read between the lines." Essentially along with the events it shows Cody's transformation. Please Read and Review.**


	13. With the Hands of Uncertainty

**(A/N) To get the full effect of this chapter, I suggest playing the song while reading. Sorry its kinda short.**

**Chapter 13: With The Hands of Uncertainty**

When Cody returned to the warehouse late the next day, he wasn't surprised to find Riley and Rhuben had left. "Good luck guys," he muttered to himself. Cody sat down on box and fiddled with the ashes from the fire the night before. He looked around, the old boxes and crates that surrounded him would be perfect for helping him achieve his ends. "I know what I'm gonna do," he continued to himself. "I'll be the most feared person in this city, anyone who crosses me will get what's coming to them." With that, he squelched any remaining compassion from his heart. The world had abandoned him, now it was his turn. Nothing mattered anymore.

Cody took a deep breath as he began with several laps around the warehouse. "I'll be the most feared bounty hunter there is…of course…if need be…I'll make sure I'm capable of more than that…much more."

After the first lap, he took out his old Ipod, put the ear buds into his ears, and shut out the world around him. As his routine intensified, Cody chuckled at the irony of the lyrics reaching his ears.

**Put to rest  
What you Thought of Me  
While I clean this Slate  
With the Hands of Uncertainty**

Eventually, Cody's body became accustomed to the hard routine he pushed himself through, day in and day out. He trained himself physically and mentally. Everyday Cody pushed himself further and further. While he physically pushed himself to the edge of his existence, he trained his mind as well. Gone were the days when he was a weak little boy, gone were the days when he would let someone else push him around…gone were the days when he cared about anything.

Along with his physical training, Cody pushed his mental capabilities as well. Cody would not only steal what he required from local stores, but he would also develop elaborate schemes to acquire what he wanted. Each time he added another challenge. "What if my prey is as smart as me?" He would ask himself prior to launching into action. Next he would laugh to himself. "Ha, that won't happen…isn't that obvious?" Also to train himself to think on his feet, Cody came up with several ways to up the pressure each time. No one would ever be able to outsmart him or even stand a chance against him.

**So let mercy come,  
And wash away,  
What I've done.  
**

With each passing day, his mind hardened, as his strength and endurance grew, his muscles hardened, and his heart hardened.

After his latest venture, Cody stopped to look into a mirror he found in one of the crates. "My new life starts now," he muttered as he stared into the cold, dark eyes looking back at him. The identical figure in the mirror wore a black baseball cap backwards, out of the bottom of which his long messy blond hair stuck out in every direction. He wore a black tank top along with a black band on each wrist, and black gloves fingerless on each hand. His black cargo pants held several utensils he believed would have some use. His black belt also held several tools including a knife, some rope, matches which were tucked away, and several smoke bombs.

**I'll face myself,  
To cross out what I've become  
Erase myself, and let go of  
What I've done**

"I made you a promise Zack," Cody continued to mutter as he stared at the mirror. "I'll never give in." With that he looked away and leapt up several crates. Once he reached the window, Cody flung himself onto the fire escape where he knelt down to scan the dark ground below him. "Mission number one…" Cody finished softly. "Matt…Mr. _Blubber__**, **_time for you to feel the pain you caused me to feel. Sad though…it's too bad you won't feel it for long. I really would have enjoyed that." Cody slid a pair of sunglasses over his eyes as his hand clutched the knife attached to his side. A second later, he stealthily slid down the fire escape and towards his unsuspecting prey.

**For What I've Done  
I start again  
And whatever pain may come  
Today this ends  
I'm Forgiving What I've Done**

They would never know what hit them…

* * *

**Kind of redundant, I'm sorry, but the main point was to basically get inside Cody's head. Again the song should help there. Please Read and Review**


	14. I Start Again

**(A/N) The prologue and its continuation (the beginning of chapter 10) occur just under three years after the last chapter. This chapter and the remainder of the story occur after the prologue continuation.**

**Chapter 14: I Start Again**

**-Cody POV-**

"_No please, don't!" _

_A smile crosses my face as I menacingly approach my target. The words are meaningless…they all beg…they all plead…they all ask for mercy. Each time it does no good. I've learned well to shut the words out of my mind. _

_He stumbles and attempts to run. Useless…just give it up already. But I could use the extra fun…it's been a rather boring week. I let him get up and start running. A second later I also start. He looks back as he tries to speed up, but I continue to close the gap quickly. My smile grows as I reach for a knife at my side._

"_You forgot this," I mutter, throwing it. He screams as it makes contact with the back of his calf, and a second later, he collapses. Blood begins to seep out as he continues to groan in agony. I rip the knife out of his leg, causing another scream. It doesn't last long…I hate the high pitched sound, so I silence it a moment later. I look down at him. "Now you stay here while I make a phone call."_

"_Hello 9-1-1?" I say into the speaker. "Stabbing behind the warehouse on fifth." _

_Several minutes later, I silently watch from the shadows further down the street as an ambulance picks him up. A few of the workers look around for clues of what might have happened. They glance at the footprints and blood stains, before taking a quick look at the surround area. I have to cover my mouth to force the chuckle down…let me think…how many people walk this way? Or own the same sneakers as me for that matter? The blood stains won't serve any harmful purpose either. By the time the real CSI investigators get here, I'll be long gone. I look down at the still bloody knife and wipe it clean on the grass before setting it back in its sheath. _

_As for him, I have nothing to worry about there. He'll be dead by the time they reach the hospital. Even if by some chance he survives, a long night earlier of alcohol and a few "additives" will take care of smoke screening me out of his memory. I won't be anything more than a shadow to him._

_As the ambulance pulls out, I pick up my phone again. "South Boston hospital, north end, fifteen minutes." I say into it before quickly snapping it shut. Time to go collect my fee, I step out of the shadows and hail a taxi._

"_Burger King on South Street," I mutter, stepping into the cab. With what I had just done, I wasn't going to be stupid enough to tell him to take me to the hospital, so I chose a destination across the street, where I would wait until they decided to show up. The driver silently acknowledges my request._

_The driver continues to stay silent the whole ride. I however, watch the meter. One driver back awhile ago tried to increase his pay rate a little by fiddling with the interior counting mechanism. Too bad for him that I was his last passenger of the day…I'm sure I definitely turned a good day into a bad one for him._

_Finally we arrive. A hidden smile crosses my face as we see an ambulance parked under the canopy by the Emergency Room entrance._

"_Looks like they just brought someone in," the driver says to me._

"_Yea, I wonder what happened," I say to him, handing him his cash. "Here's a little something extra for you, you look hungry." I add, giving him an extra few dollars. It's an old trick I learned early in this job…give them a little something extra, they forget you. It must be a cab driver trait, I don't really care. But he'll be so wrapped up in the gratuity, in about ten minutes, he won't have a clue of who I am or that he had ever met me._

_The cab drives away. I however begin to head over to our meeting place, remaining hidden in the shadows the whole time. A glance around shows me there's no cameras on this corner of the building. I move forward and continue to watch and wait. Finally I see a car pull up._

"_Finally," I say to the first man to step out. "Bring my compensation?" Initially, he doesn't say anything as two others, whom I presume to be his bodyguards also step out. Behind my sunglasses, I roll my eyes. These crime lords are all the same. He's just like the last one…tries to show off, but doesn't get anywhere, especially with me. I thought he would have learned that the last time I spoke with him._

"_Where is he?" the man asks once he's facing me._

"_I'm sure you'll find your answer over there," I reply quietly. Next I motion towards the Emergency Room entrance. _

"_Is he dead?" He asks, looking back and forth between my eyes and the canopy. Even though it was blocked from view, I'm sure he was well aware of what I was talking about._

"_It's not my problem if he is," I reply. _

"_If he dies, there'll be an investigation. There'll be police all over," he snarls. Why are they always in such a bad mood? I think jokingly to myself._

"_Again that's not my problem," I answer coolly. "And I don't think you'll go through the trouble of making it my problem." _

"_And why's that?" he says, his voice showing that he is obviously annoyed._

"_Let's just say it wouldn't be in your best interests to upset me," I say to him. With that, I collect my fee and turn to walk away. However, in the dead silence, I hear some quick whispering and a soft whooshing sound…the same sound clothing makes when it is pushed aside. At this point, there could be only one reason for that sound…a gun hidden under his jacket. I take a quick breath. I warned him not to upset me. I whip around, grabbing my knife in the process. A half second later, it is en route and connects with my target. Before his two goons could get a shot off, I quickly grab the gun of one of the body guards, twisting his arm in the process as well as the rest of him. This results in him firing instinctively. At this same point, the other body guard attempts to shoot me. The bullets cross in mid air, ending the lives of the bodyguards a second later. I shake my head as I clean the knife off with each of their jackets before heading on my way._

* * *

**-Normal POV-**

**One Month Later**

Cody glanced at a newspaper stand as he walked towards his favorite hangout. It wasn't that the place had anything special, it was just one of the more interesting places in the city, and was especially attractive when Cody was in the mood for some excitement. One street before he reached his destination, Cody's eyes fell on a newspaper stand. After reading the headline, which read, "Police still Baffled by Triple Murder," Cody couldn't help but chuckle to himself. He knew it was talking about the three people who had tried to kill him by the hospital; he also knew the police would never be able to trace it to him. After another smile, Cody turned and continued on.

Cody opened the door and walked inside. "A coke," he said to the bar tender, who complied. He placed the money on the bar before turning and taking a glace around the room. It was thick with smoke, just like the other bar he had been in recently. To amuse himself, he decided to read the neon advertisements before turning his attention to the baseball game that played on the bar's main television.

A while later, a commotion drew Cody's attention over to his right. Three guys, headed over to him, laughing and joking to each other. All three were obviously drunk and was casually sipping on a large mug of beer. The first man wore a leather biker jacket, under which he wore a white tee shirt. He also wore dull, blue, raggy jeans with a black and white bandanna. The second man was a skin head that wore a black leather vest, baggy black pants and two black wristbands with silver spikes on them, one on each wrist. The third man had a large mustache and a beard, consisting of graying hair. He wore a jean jacket over a dirty white t-shirt and as well as jeans that were covered in oil stains. Cody sighed softly to himself as they approached. _Here we go,_ he thought to himself as he took another sip of his Coke.

"Well well boys," the man with the bandanna said. "Look what we have here."

"I didn't know this turned into a kiddie bar," the man with the mustache said. He then turned to Cody before making a face. "Does your mommy know you're here?"

Cody didn't respond as he casually took another drink of his Coke.

The skin head just eyed Cody for a second before breaking into a laugh. "You know kid, you take the 'muscle' out of the shirt," he said tapping Cody's upper arm. "If you're gonna wear something like that, at least have something to show." With that, he flexed his own arms and laughed. Cody still didn't respond. In his mind however, he was laughing. These three would learn soon enough.

"What's the matter with you boy?" The man with the bandanna asked. "You deaf or something?"

"He's probably just too scared to say anything," the skinhead said. "I'll bet he's about to piss his pants."

"I thought I told you to stop scaring little children, Lester?" The man with the mustache said to the man with the bandanna.

"Can I help it if I'm the big bad boogyman?" Lester said.

"You hear that kid? We're your worst nightmare." The skinhead said. "So how about you just go run on home to mommy." He laughed, along with the other two.

Cody took another sip before setting his glass down. "Actually just your smell could give anyone nightmares." Cody said.

"Wow," The skinhead said. "Sounds like we got a tough guy. You know kid, you might wanna leave before you make a bad mistake."

Cody cracked a smile. "You mean like thinking any of you are smart enough to know what a mistake is?" _Apparently, they aren't._ Cody thought to himself. _Because none seem to realize the mistake they're making right now. Too bad._ The three looked at him for a second. "Oh, sorry, maybe I should say it slower so you drunken dumbasses can understand me."

"What?" Lester said as his face turned red with rage. "You know kid, maybe you need a lesson in manners."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Cody muttered, standing up.

"What?" Lester said. "This?" He aimed a punch at Cody's face.

Cody calmly ducked before grabbing Lester's outstretched arm and twisting it behind his back. Lester made a face of agony, groaning. His eyes looked back at Cody. "Isn't it a shame that some kids just won't learn?" Cody said with a smile. He twisted harder before kicking Lester forward into the table.

Lester crashed through the table and fell to the floor. Cody's Coke also fell on his head, drenching him with the sticky liquid. "GET HIM!" Lester yelled.

"Uh right!" The skinhead said. With that, he and the man with the mustache lunged at Cody, one from each side.

Cody smiled again as he leaned back, causing them to crash into each other. Next he swung his leg up, knee each one in the face, before knocking them back down with an elbow to the back of each of their heads.

The skinhead touched his lip. His eyes grew when he saw blood leaking onto his fingers. "You're gonna pay for that boy!"

Cody smiled. This was going to be fun.

"HEY! HEY!" The bar tender said yelling over. "Not in my bar!" The commotion had drawn his attention along with the attention of several of the bar's patrons.

Despite their drunken rage, however, the three men began to calm down. "Eh, that kid ain't worth it!" Lester said. "Come on guys." With that, each walked back up to the bar and bought another round of beers. Cody however, implanted them into his mind. He wouldn't forget them. He smiled as he began to walk out.

"You're pretty brave kid," A voice said. Cody turned and saw a woman with dark blond hair. She appeared to be in her late twenties. She wore jeans and a tight white shirt. She also had a stud earing in her right ear. "I've seen you around here quite a few times, you always looking for trouble?"

"Maybe," Cody replied. "I like to have fun."

She laughed. "That's a good one." She held out her hand. "My name is Candy."

"Cody," Cody said, shaking her hand.

"How about I buy your next one?" She asked him. "After all beating up tough men must be hard work. You must be thirsty."

"I'm ok," Cody said. He slid his sunglasses on as he looked at her.

"Oh come on," Candy motioned for one of the waitresses. "One for the road then?"

Cody looked at her again. "Ok," he said smiling. "One for the road."

He followed her to a booth and sat down. "You sure you need those?" Candy asked, motioning to his sun glasses.

"I like them," Cody replied.

"Ok, Candy said. Cody scanned her gaze. "One…" Candy began when the waitress arrived.

"Coke," Cody finished.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cody watched the waitress pour his drink and bring it over. _Good she didn't try to slip anything in it, I guess I can listen to what this Candy girl has to say. Might be interesting._ "Thanks," Cody said, taking the glass and taking a sip.

"So Cody," Candy asked. "What is it you do? What sorts of jobs?"

"Jobs?" Cody replied. He decided he would test her before he told her anything.

"I saw what you did to them," Candy said. "So I figured you must be the guy I'm looking for. Although I'm a little surprised with your age."

"What does my age matter?" Cody replied. "And what do you mean you've been looking for me?"

"Your reputation, Cody," Candy continued. "I've heard you're the best at what you do. Anyway, I know someone who has a job for you."

Cody took another sip. "I'm listening."

* * *

**(A/N) If the timeline is confusing, feel free to PM me. Also the crime lord in this chapter that Cody kills at the hospital is the same one he talks to in the prologue. Please Read and Review**


	15. And What Pain May Come

**Chapter 15: And Whatever Pain May Come**

"Well for starters," Candy said, taking her drink. "How does one such as yourself, end up in a world like this?"

"Things happen," Cody replied. "The world goes round, you know how it is."

"Isn't that the truth," Candy said.

Cody looked at her. "I thought you said my reputation spoke for itself." Cody then glanced over at the men he had humiliated just moments before.

Candy smiled. "Oh it definitely does." She got up and sat down next to him. "And again," she continued, sliding her arm around Cody. "For one so young, it is very impressive."

Cody shifted his eyes to look at her. "I told you, age doesn't matter to me."

"Apparently," Candy said, leaning closer. "Of course, why should it? You seem to have your priorities in line." Cody looked into her eyes, as she did to his, despite them being hidden by his sunglasses.

Cody smiled. "That I do." He took another drink. Candy smiled as she made a flirtatious face. The whole time, Cody continued to eye her through his sunglasses, scanning her in an attempt to read her intentions. "So tell me, what exactly is it you want?"

"Well, how interested are you?"

"That depends on what you have to say," Cody replied calmly. "If or not I'm interested at all."

"Well before I tell you anything," Candy said. "I have to know if we can depend on you to do the job right."

"That's nice," Cody said dully. "But I do things as they suit me. So if it suits me, I'll do it. If not, well, looks like you're back to square one."

Candy nodded her understanding. She seemed a little annoyed at Cody's demeanor, but attempted to hide it. Cody however picked this up through the look in her eyes and her body language.

"Recently," Candy said. "We have run into a few problems. So we're currently looking for a solution. You seem like a good answer. And again, I can promise the reward will be worth your while."

"I'll look into it," Cody replied, taking another sip. "…that is, after you tell me what you actually want." His tone also featured some annoyance at the fact that he had to repeat himself again.

Candy eyed Cody for the next few seconds as he took another drink. She almost seemed unsure what to say. Cody saw this and twisted his expression.

"That's all for now," Candy said as she stood up. She handed Cody a piece of folded paper. "I will meet you here in twenty minutes. See you soon Cody." With that she smiled and walked away.

Cody continued to watch her as she walked out. After a final glace he opened the paper she had given him. It was an address and phone number. The place on the paper wasn't too far away, so he decided he'd head over there. He smiled, this looked like fun. He got up, tipped the bar tender, and walked out.

Once outside, Cody stood and waited for Candy to come back, consistently checking his watch to see if she would even show up. After exactly twenty minutes passed, a black convertible pulled up. Candy got out and opened the door for Cody. Behind his sunglasses, Cody scanned the inside for any possibilities of treachery. As he knew well, in this game, nothing is left to chance. He controlled his fate. "Looks comfy," Cody said with a slight smile. Candy also smiled as Cody climbed in. She followed him soon after.

Once on their way, Candy motioned towards the driver. "That's Miles," she said. Cody nodded at him.

"Nice to meet you," Miles said, nodding back a second later, not taking his eyes off the road.

Next Candy turned back to Cody. "So Cody, have you ever heard of a man named Kyle Bourne?"

"I prefer not retain familiarity with people," Cody replied casually. "But the name has come up once or twice. Supposed to be some big shot in this area of town."

"He is," Miles muttered in a disgusted tone. Candy however shot him a look that caused him to focus his attention on his driving. Cody shifted his eyes, but quickly turned them back to Candy.

"Anyway, about a month ago," Candy continued. "His son was murdered, probably by some other moron's goon squad. Several bounty hunters have been hired to find the culprit, none have so far."

"That's sad to hear," Cody replied. "But sorry I'm not a detective."

Candy ignored him. "Your job will be to find and take care of whoever it was."

"So you have to send a boy to do a man's job then?" Cody responded, cracking another smile.

Candy smiled. "That's why the reward will be worth your while." She said as the car pulled around a high rise building.

The outside of the building was made out of dark red bricks. The windows were outlined with dark green wood and curtains that blocked the view inside. Miles came around and opened the door for Cody and Candy, which led to a narrow hallway and a stair case. Cody followed Candy up the stairs, and Miles followed shortly behind both of them. Once at the top, the group went through another hall with peeling green paint on the walls until coming up on an old-looking door, the middle of which showed the glue outline of where a name or number tag had once been.

Miles knocked on the door twice, waited for a second, then used his key to open the door. The door creaked on its hinges as he opened it. Dust covered much of the interior, with the only light coming from several lamps that sat on a few tables around the room. The lampshades were off-white, and gave the room's lighting a yellowish orange hue. Cody glanced around, wondering if this guy had ever heard of cleaning. However his attention was quickly diverted to a large German Shepard, barking loudly at him.

"TRAVIS!" Candy yelled at the dog. "Bad dog! You know better than to bark at company!" She slapped the dog, who whined and walked over to a large padded chair sitting by in the room's corner.

"I just seem to have that effect these days," Cody said with a smile.

The dog laid down next to the chair where it received several pets from its owner. "Now, Travis, haven't I trained you better than that?" A voice said as a hand with several golden rings on it, one of which sported a large turquoise stone, repetitively rubbed the dog's head and mouth. The hand's owner was a wide man about Cody's height. He had short black hair on a balding head as well as a small black mustache. He wore a black suit over a white button down shirt and black tie. He got up as he lit a cigarette. "I didn't know we were entertaining children now Candy," he said with a look from Cody to Candy and back.

"He's the one you've been looking for," Candy said. "This is Cody, the bounty hunter."

"Really?" The man said with a puff on his cigarette. "A little young isn't he?" He walked back over to the table and poured himself a glass of whiskey. "Cody, was it?"

"I know," Candy said. Cody icily looked back and forth between the two of them, crossing his arms in the process. "But I can promise you this is him."

"Let's just say I'm gifted," Cody said quietly, but loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. "Age is meaningless number, I guess you might have learned that already."

Candy and Miles stared, dumbstruck that Cody would talk to their boss like that. The man however just smiled as he walked back over. "Kyle Bourne," he said, extending his hand. Cody shook it. "I can see you have spunk, I like that."

"So I'm told," Cody replied as he shook Kyle's hand.

"However, there is a time and a place for everything," Kyle said after another puff. "Such as now that I know you, this is not the time for that attitude, nor is this the place for your sunglasses."

"I like them," Cody replied. "It's too bright in here. You understand."

"True," Kyle said. "However a real man always looks another man in the eye when he speaks."

Cody smiled. "Fair enough," he said as he slid his sunglasses off and into his pocket.

"So I hear you're the best there is," Kyle said, gulping down the rest of his whiskey before pouring another glass. He also grabbed another cup and poured some in before offering it to Cody.

"I try," Cody said.

Candy looked over at Kyle as if he was crazy for offering the boy a glass of whiskey. This however was returned with a dominating look that forced Candy to back off. She walked over to the couch, while Miles continued to stand near the doorway.

Cody smiled as he took the glass. "Thanks, I'm flattered at the level of trust here, your man didn't pat me or anything," Cody said as he took a sip.

"I don't feel that's particularly necessary, just creates hard feelings," Kyle said. "So I hear you can succeed where others have failed so far?" He lit another cigarette and puffed on it.

"Shouldn't be a hassle," Cody replied with another smile as he sipped at the whiskey again. "But let me in form you of how I operate."

Kyle nodded. "Of course."

"Three simple things," Cody said. "I take half up front, half after the job. Also the return is dead or alive, depending on what the situation calls for, and finally, I have free reign or in other words, I do things as I please. Questions?"

Kyle looked at Cody for a second. He liked Cody's spunk, as he had put it, but was almost shocked at Cody's outright boldness. People never talked to him like that. He took another puff on his cigarette. "For one who talks like this, you must be able to back your words up nicely. However I can too, so I'll overlook this for now. But next time you talk to me, I expect respect."

"I'll keep that in mind," Cody said.

Kyle turned and walked over to the window. "My son, Tony, was killed about a month ago, still breaks my heart. Freakin' gutless bastards. Find whoever was responsible for it and bring them to me." He looked at Cody. "Dead or alive works. I loved that boy, but he wasn't always the brightest. He began to get involved with some…things, which then my rivals sought to exploit."

"I'll start with them then," Cody said.

"Would be a nice place," Kyle said, looking over. "But some recent events may make that difficult. So you'll have to start at the top and work your way down."

Cody smiled. "Should be fun." He sucked down the rest of his drink and set the glass down. Despite another look from Candy, Cody knew the small amount he drank was nowhere enough to have any sort of effect on him. A moment later he was on his way out under Mile's escort.

"No funny business," Miles said as he handed Cody the first part of his payment.

"I don't think that's for you to decide," Cody said, sliding his sunglasses back on. With that, he smiled and turned away.

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**Please Read and Review. Sorry about the wait.**


	16. Today This Ends

**Chapter 16: Today This Ends**

Cody headed down the streets as he began to figure out his plan of action. Kyle had said that his rivals exploited his son, so Cody decided he'd start with them. It wouldn't take long to figure out which rival it was, and it was easy picking from there.

Cody headed back to the bar his night had begun at, figuring he could pick up his first contact there. One feeling he couldn't help but shake however, was that Kyle's son looked extremely familiar. To his knowledge, Cody had never met him, but then again, Cody had met a lot of people he didn't remember. He took the picture out again and continued to look at it as he walked.

Suddenly, Cody heard a loud roar, and light caught the corner of his eye. A glance back told him that the sound was an engine, an engine that was now driving a large maroon car at him. The car hopped the curb and was heading straight for him, as if the driver was attempting to run him over. Cody shook his head and smiled to himself. At the last second, he bolted sideways and the car missed him. As it passed by him, Cody looked in the window and out of the corner of his eye, saw the occupants. It was the men from the bar earlier, and Lester was in the driver's seat.

"Like I said, some kids never learn," Cody muttered to himself, chuckling again. He stood in the middle of the road and waited. The car smacked into a sign before attempting to make a sharp turn. The tires squealed and smoked as the sign fell and smashed into the car's windshield. Cody smiled again as the back end of the car fish tailed. He gripped his knife and waited.

Finally the car completed the turn but was at a near dead stop. Seizing the moment, Cody flung the knife right into the center of the windshield. Since the glass had already been damaged by the falling sign, the knife caused cracks to spread all over it. Through the broken glass, Cody could see Lester's frustration. It was nearly impossible to see into the car, so Cody knew no one could see out of it. Cody bolted forward and leaped onto the car. He yanked the knife out of the windshield before slamming the weakened glass with his foot. Although the windshield remained somewhat intact, the car's occupants were showered with glass shards. Cody then jumped back out off of the car and back into the road, where he waited for Lester and his crew to get out.

Lester stormed out of the driver's side cursing loudly. The skin head did the same out of the passenger side door, and the third man got out of the backseat.

"Nice to see you again," Cody said, cracking another smile.

"If I were you," Lester growled. "I would run." He slid a pair of brass knuckles onto each hand.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you're not me," Cody said. "Cause I would definitely hate to be you."

"The boy's got jokes," the skinhead said as he picked up a wooden bat from the backseat of the car. "But I'm not in a laughing mood."

"How about a dying mood?" Cody replied, unaffected by the men approaching him.

"If you value your worthless life at all, you'd get out of town, right now." the third member of their group, the man with the mustache said. "After what you did to us..." his voice broke as his face turned beat red. He also grabbed a chain and began to whirl it around.

"Three on one, that's not fair," Cody said, staring down the approaching, drunken men. Apparently, they didn't learn the first time, so Cody would have to teach them another lesson. Whether or not he would allow them to live long enough to learn it, however, was a different story. "For you…" he added to himself, still smiling.

"Well isn't that just too bad," Lester said, rolling his knuckles in his other hand. The skinhead also brandished the bat.

Cody just sighed to himself, clutching his knife. This was going to be fun. He decided the quiet one should go first. Acting quickly, he flung his knife with complete precision, directly into his target's neck. The man with the mustache attempted to parry the blade, but the awkward shape of it made it extremely difficult. A half second later, the knife met its target, and he crumpled to the ground in a pool of red.

Lester looked stunned at his fallen comrade for a second before turning red with anger. "KILL HIM!" he yelled as he charged at Cody.

"Here we go again," Cody repeated to himself as he dodged Lester's blow, which was followed with a kick to Lester's back. Lester stumbled forward as he growled again. The skin head also attempted to take a swipe at Cody with the bat. Cody leapt back in time for the swing to miss, before leaping forward and smacking the skin head square in the cheek with his elbow.

The skinhead couldn't help but get a feeling of déjà vu as he once again gripped his mouth in pain as blood began to seep out. He looked at Cody with a face of intense hatred. "When we're through with you, you're going to wish you had never been born, punk!"

"Aw, that hurts," Cody said, cracking another smile. These people didn't seem to know when to give up…too bad. He rolled forward and grabbed the knife out of his latest victim, before looking up.

Not looking behind him, Lester grabbed Cody, wrapping his arms around the boy, as he attempted to crush the life from him. Cody opened his eyes, keeping alert, ignoring the pain surging through his chest and ribs. He had taught himself to see through pain, and find the solution to his problem. He could see the skinhead approaching, the bat over his head. Had it been anyone else, the blow from the bat would have been deadly. But Cody already had his strategy worked out…it was all part of the plan.

At the last second, Cody twisted as he dropped his weight. Surprised by this move, Lester was caught off guard and twisted with him. The oncoming bat struck Lester square in the back, just below his neckline. The skinhead watched stunned as Lester began to fall to the ground.

Acting on his opportunity, Cody swung his knife back, finishing Lester off. Another twist freed Cody and prevented him from being trapped under Lester's heavy body. Cody then looked at the scared man facing him. "I think you got this wrong," Cody said. "You see, I was the one in a killing mood," Cody chuckled. "And that definitely puts me in a laughing mood." The skin head growled at him, but shook with fear. "It seems like we barely got to know each other," Cody continued menacingly. "Isn't that just too bad? I'm really an interesting person to get to know." With that he readied his knife.

The skinhead to several swings at Cody, each was more desperate than the last. Cody dodged all of them easily. Cody then rolled forward and slashed at the skinhead's leg, causing him to fall. The bat fell to the ground with a loud clatter as the skinhead clutched his leg in pain. "So," Cody began. "You said I take the muscle out of the shirt," Cody rubbed his arms, mockingly, while popping his veins out. "Guess that just how it works, the little guy always kicks the big guy's ass." With that, he silenced the groans of pain in front of him. "Useless waste of life," Cody said as he turned and walked away from the scene.

"Now where was I?" Cody said to himself with another smile. "Oh yea, contacts." He walked into the bar, only once again to be greeted by the stench of smoke and alcohol he knew all too well. Just like before, he slide his sunglasses on to protect his eyes from the smoke as well as hide his glance from any prying eyes. Quickly he made his way over to the bar tender and pulled up a stool.

"What will it be this time?" The bartender asked. Judging by his tone, he remembered Cody. Cody however decided to overlook the tone in his voice.

"Information," Cody replied.

"Sorry, fresh out," the bartender replied.

"Really? Somehow I doubt that," Cody said with a sigh as he slid his sunglasses off. "I know you're a reasonable person, so let's be reasonable here. I'm aware that a man named Tony Bourne stopped in here quite a bit." The bartender eyed Cody as his mouth shuttered. Cody smiled, some people were so easy to crack. "Yea that's right, you're on his father's top list, I mean," Cody slouched against the bar. "Oh by the way I'll take a Coke."

"S-sure," the bartender said. "Why would his father care about me?" he shakily filled a glass up and handed it to Cody.

"Well," Cody said. "It's no secret he was in here quite a bit. I wondered why he looked so familiar when I saw his picture, must be that we have similar tastes in hang outs." Cody took a sip before looking the bartender straight in the eye. "And his father isn't too happy about it, so the sooner you stop being my problem and start becoming my solution, the better off you will be."

The bartender stared at him. "W-well I haven't done anything so why should I be worried about it?"

Cody smiled. "Oh it's really rather simple, you're well known for passing off information, what if one of your conversations took place with the wrong person? I'm sure Kyle wouldn't be too happy with the man that couldn't keep his mouth shut." Cody knew with Kyle's reputation in this area, it wouldn't be long until he got the answer he was looking for. All it would require was a little more prodding. "And when that man let something slip, something that would result in Tony sleeping with the fishes, well, how do you think that makes you look?"

The bartender looked at Cody, shaking. Cody twitched his eyes to enhance his position further. Finally the bartender gulped. "Ok, I'll tell you. There were three people in here about a month ago asking about him. News was he owed them a lot of money and wouldn't pay it. That's all I know. Tell him I didn't have anything to do with it."

"Oh I will, but first you gotta tell me who they were," Cody said, leaning over the bar. He continued to stare icily into the bartender's eyes. Cody could tell he was scared. He wasn't scared at the fact that a boy was facing him down, he was scared of that boy would do, especially after he got back to Kyle. If Kyle was displeased with the answer, the bartender knew that he would either be killed or utterly destroyed in every way possible. That was Kyle's reputation. Cody continued to play it to his advantage. "So I guess this is your lucky day," Cody continued. "Because normally I don't repeat myself, but since you're so nice, I will. Who was it?"

"I-I don't know for sure," the bartender replied. "I think the Lorrenttis had something to do with it. Tony had a lot of enemies, he loved to double-cross people."

"Obviously," Cody said. "Lorrentti, ok, guess you didn't disappoint me after all." He flipped a quarter into the bartender's still shaking hands.

The bartender continued to stare at Cody as he began to walk away. "Wait, one more thing," the bartender said. Cody turned back and sat down again. "The Lorrenttis and the Bournes have been in a power struggle for awhile."

Cody rolled his eyes. "Hell everyone in Boston knows that, thanks you've served your purpose, I don't think Kyle, or me for that matter, will have to do anything...yet."

"Who are you anyway really?" The bartender asked suddenly.

"Just call me Cody," Cody replied smiling. "I'm a bounty hunter." The bartender stood for a second before stumbling back. Not only was he aware of Kyle's reputation, but Cody's was also very well known. If Kyle had sent Cody after him…he was done for. Cody smiled, as he left the speechless bartender and walked out.

Outside the bar, Cody found a copy of the day's newspaper. He read the familiar headline as he smiled to himself. "Police still Baffled by Triple Murder," Cody read silently. For no reason at all, he decided to read the article, even though he knew it was about him. Something however then caught Cody's attention in the first paragraph. "The bodies of Louis, Joseph, and Marcos Lorrentti were found outside of South Boston Hospital…"

"That's interesting," Cody said to himself as he smiled again and tossed the paper into a nearby trashcan.

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**Please read and review. I'm sorry this took so long, I've had a lot going on. I'm going to try to update my stories more often than I have been. Look for the next chapter soon.**


	17. I'll Face Myself

**Chapter 17: I'll Face Myself**

Cody continued to wander down the street, piecing together everything he had learned that night. For once he had to admit, even he was stumped. A smile however crossed his face as he shook the thought from his head. "It just makes it all the more fun," he said to himself. "And all the more worth it when I find what I'm looking for." Finally Cody's wandering took him a place he didn't normally travel to, the subway. He flipped a few quarters into the ticket machine and headed down to the train platform. The low lifes that made the subway their home might prove to be at least somewhat useful because they were well known for taking hit jobs just for some cash.

Cody sat down on a seat near the back of the train. He didn't have to wait too long because soon enough a man in a long trench coat sat down in the seat across from him. Cody glanced up and saw the day's newspaper in his pocket as he slid his sunglasses over his face. "So," Cody muttered. "What brings you here?"

The man grunted a response.

"Thought so," Cody said, rolling his eyes behind his sunglasses. "So I've been looking for someone named Lorrentti, was supposed to meet me here. Ever heard of him?"

The man just turned away.

"Well? Please mister?" Cody added in a boyish voice. It took some effort on his part not to laugh at the voice he had just used.

"Go away!" the man said as he pulled a bottle filled with a bright yellow liquid out of his coat and began sucking it down like water.

A smile formed across Cody's face as he got up just as the train started moving. He pretended to trip, falling into the man, knocking the bottle to the floor where it spilled all over.

"HEY!" The man yelled. His blood shot eyes glared at Cody.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I'm really clumsy," Cody said.

"That was my last one!" The man said through gritted teeth. He took a swing at Cody.

Cody ducked. Since the man was obviously drunk, this would be relatively simple. He landed a punch to the back of the man's head. The man yelled in frustration as he attempted to take another swing. He wound up and aimed his fist at Cody. The spinning motion however caused him to quickly loose his balance and he fell to the ground, but not before smacking his head on the metal seat.

"Are you done yet?" Cody said lazily as he kicked the man in the side to make sure the man was paying attention. Next he pulled out his knife and pressed it into the man's unshaven throat.

"What do you want kid?" The man grumbled as he collected himself.

"Does the name Lorrentti sound familiar? Tell me now!"

"Yea, they're known all over Boston," the man said. Cody growled at the useless answer, his temper began rising.

"Have you ever done anything for them? Killed anyone?"

"No! All I know is that they're dead," the man said through heavy breaths. Sweat was dripping down his forehead. "I've only heard of them."

"Then how do you know they're dead? Huh?" Cody said as he jerked closer to the man and looked at him right in the eyes.

"It was in the paper! Someone killed them outside the hospital!" The man replied.

This man was useless. "Tell me something I don't already know! Cody said. "Fine, does the name Bourne bring anything to mind? Don't lie to me."

"No, I only read the paper!" The man replied. "I may be drunk but I don't kill people!"

"Well that's one of us," Cody said. A screeching sound caught his attention. He also felt the train stop. "Here," Cody said as he tossed a couple dollars down. "Go buy a another bottle, maybe it'll put some sense into you." Cody pulled his knife back and walked off the subway.

"Almost lost my temper," Cody said to himself. Although he wouldn't admit it to himself, this riddle was starting to frustrate him. "Well, one low life down, only ten thousand to go." Maybe one of the ones in Boston could tell him something. His mind then turned back to the man he met on the subway, and the status Cody had left him in. "It's not my problem, he should have told me something useful," and he shook the thought from his mind. "Besides, he was a waste of life anyway."

Cody walked out of the station and back into the night air. He continued down the street until he finally came to a street light that seemed oddly familiar, yet the memory was faint. For no reason, he decided to turn left and walked through a park, that again was oddly familiar, yet the memory was very faint. After coming back out to the street he looked across it at a high rise building. As if in a trance, he walked to the building. The building was tall and white, although each floor was coated with windows. Cody looked at the building for a few seconds. Although it held no significance to him, he still wanted to hang around for just a few more seconds. Finally his eyes fell on side walk in front of him, and an engraving in it:

IN MEMORY OF THE BOSTON TIPTON HOTEL

AND ALL THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES

ON NEW YEAR'S EVE, 2005

The memories returned to Cody. He remembered a deafening explosion, and bright flames. Sirens blared, people screaming, and he was screaming. He was screaming and fighting, but was helpless. Cody looked back up at his reflection in the windows in front of him. He was silent as he faced himself, just staring at his reflection. "Well that's definitely changed, I'm not helpless anymore." Cody muttered to himself. More memories began to pour into his head. He remembered all the fun he had, him and Zack, the pranks and trouble they caused. He remembered the adventures he had in the hotel, him and Zack. He remembered Maddie, London, his mom, and all the people he grew to love, both him and Zack. Him and Zack…him and Zack. The thought circled, everything from his childhood, it was him and Zack. "But Zack just abandoned me, its fine. Let him, I'm better off on my own…" Cody said as he squeezed his eyes closed.

"I abandoned you?" A voice said suddenly. Cody knew the voice, but knew that its current existence was impossible. He opened his eyes, and stared where his reflection had been. In its place was Zack.

"Z-Zack?" Cody asked, stunned.

Zack smiled. "I abandoned you, but here I am."

"H-How? You're dead."

"Yes, I am," Zack said. "And I'm sad to say the same about you."

"What are you talking about?" Cody said. "I'm alive, breathing, walking and talking."

"Yes, but that's not it," Zack replied. "Come on Cody, you were the smart one weren't you?"

"I was," Cody said. "And I still am."

"You died the day you broke your promise to me," Zack said as a stern look fell over his face.

"WHAT?" Cody said, anger beginning to rise in him. "After what you did how can you say that? You promised you'd always be there for me! And what did you do just days later? YOU DIED! I was completely alone! I had no one!"

Zack just shook his head. "It couldn't be helped. But I'm glad to say I died saving someone I cared about, someone I cared more about than anyone in the world. It's painful though to see that person didn't care about me nearly as much."

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" Cody yelled. "ZACK! YOU WERE MY TWIN! I LOVED YOU!"

"Apparently not, because you couldn't carry out my last wish," Zack replied. "You promised that you would, and then you didn't. I was faithful until I died, but you long ago broke the faith I had in you."

"Fine then, I broke my promise," Cody said, rolling his eyes. "You told me to carry on, and never give in! And look! I'm still here!"

"Just look at yourself Cody. Look what you've become." Zack replied. "Giving in was exactly what you did. You destroyed the person I loved. Killing and torturing people? Stealing and hurting others just to amuse yourself? That's not the Cody I knew. The Cody I knew never would have thought of doing any of that. No, the brother I loved died a long time ago."

"Don't lecture me Zack!" Cody snapped. "You don't know what its like to have to fight to survive and you never will. You just had to die, and I'm still here. Now who's the stronger twin? I never gave in, you did."

Zack sadly shook his head as a tear dripped out of his eye. Zack said sadly. "Cody, you are spiralling down, fast, and no one's going to be there when you crash."

"Good!" Cody said. "I don't need anyone! I can do just fine on my own. You showed me that the night you died. And I proved it over and over."

"It's because of Rhuben and Riley that you are alive now," Zack said. "Did you forget they saved you that night?"

"Who?" Cody said sarcastically. "I saved myself. Look at me! I'm the most feared person in Boston! No one can even hold a candle to me! I do whatever I want, whenever I want. No one can stop me."

Zack shook his head again. "And yet, you can't even figure out your latest assignment. Maybe one day you'll see." Cody scruffed as Zack sighed. "Cody, I'll prove my faithfulness by giving you the answer. You are never going to find the person you're looking for."

"That shows how much you know, even in death," Cody replied.

"You didn't let me finish," Zack said, his voice rising. "And you want to know the reason? YOU ARE HIM! You've killed so many people, you can't even keep them straight anymore! You killed Tony! Then you killed the Lorenttis outside the hospital they took Tony to. You can't even see it, can you? YOU ARE THE MURDERER YOU'RE SEEKING! Open your eyes, maybe you'll…see…"

Suddenly an itch hit Cody's eye. He blinked as he rubbed it. When he opened his eyes, he was staring at himself, and everything around him was quiet. Cody touched the glass, and his reflection followed suit. Cody had an uneasy feeling that he just couldn't seem to shake. Knots developed and continued to grow in his stomach. Was Zack right? Was that even Zack or some crazy sight because he thought he was tired?

Cody felt dizzy as he held his head. It was all true and he knew it. "NO!" Cody yelled. "I'm not going to give in now! I'm just tired, yea that's it! It's been a long night of searching! I'll figure it out tomorrow." Cody turned and walked away from the building. A moment later, there was a breeze. Despite it being a warm night Cody felt cold. He rubbed his arms as he blew on his hands. Looking back he faced his reflection, and in doing so, faced himself. Was he really the strong independent person he thought he was, or was he still a weak little boy? It was a question that for the first time in a long time, shook him down to his very core.

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**Please Read and Review. Sorry again about the wait. If anythings confusing, closely read the storyline after Cody becomes a bounty hunter. Also feel free to PM me or leave the question in the review.  
**


	18. To Cross Out What I've Become

**Chapter 18: To Cross Out What I've Become**

Over the course of the next few days, Cody couldn't seem to concentrate on much of anything. His mind constantly turned back to the "conversation" he had with Zack. Each time however, Cody would attempt to flush the thought from his mind as anger would fill him, causing the knot to form again. It was a vicious, endless cycle. Finally Cody decided to do something he had never done before. He returned to the site of Zack's grave and let everything out.

"It was your fault Zack," Cody said as his fists shook with rage. "You couldn't take care of me, you couldn't take care of yourself. You promised me you'd always be there. But you aren't! I'm here for me. I never needed you. I can take care of myself! GOT THAT? I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!"

* * *

Cody turned to look at his reflection again in the mirror he kept in his warehouse, but he stopped himself. He still didn't feel like he had gotten everything out. Every time he tried, he felt better for awhile, then the feeling would return to him. "Maybe a full workout will do me some good," Cody muttered. "It's been awhile since I've done one of those." With that, he put his Ipod ear buds into his ears and turned the music up full blast to shut out the outside world as well as any stray thoughts.

When Cody was done, he sat down against one of the crates, breathing heavily. His bangs fell over his eyes as the rest of his hair matted itself to the back of his head and neck, sticking the sweat that constantly dripped down. He continued to sit there as sweat constantly dripped and rolled down his face and body. Some of it fell into his eyes, but Cody ignored the stinging sensation as it was far below his current threshold of pain. He smiled as all thoughts faded from his mind. "Well, that's that," Cody muttered to himself with a smile. Plus it gave him something else to concentrate on. "No one can even come close to me," Cody continued to mutter to himself as he held out his hands and stared at them. A second later, he clenched them into fists and tensed up his forearms, causing his veins to pop out. "See me Zack? See what I can do? I don't give in, I don't quit." Cody then shook his head. "It's sad that I can't say the same about you big brother. Your weak body just quit. You gave in, there's no getting around it. You just couldn't handle it. Looks like I win." Cody continued to tell himself that over and over, but despite the satisfaction surging through him, Cody still couldn't squelch a small feeling of uncertainty looming deep within him.

Cody walked over to the window and saw the sun was still brightly shining, and a glance at his watch told him it was about mid-afternoon. "Tonight, I'll put this to rest," Cody said. He preferred to work at night because the darkness outside meant less of a chance of recognition. Plus to him it was fun since the population that roamed Boston at night added some excitement. Cody smiled again as he walked away from the window. He took off his shirt and used it as a towel to wipe his remaining sweat off before crashing into a deep slumber. It was far from relaxing however as memories of Zack and what he had said constantly haunted his dreams.

* * *

Once Cody woke up, along with some stretching, he glanced outside and figured it was finally dark enough to get to work. He stared at himself in his old mirror as he went over his course of action. He figured he'd go back to the inner city and see what he could find out. His mind completely shut out the possibility of what Zack had said being true; absolutely refusing to accept it. It couldn't be true, it just couldn't. If it was him, he would have known it. What did Zack know? Besides he was dead!

As Cody stared at himself, his reflection almost seemed to flicker. Aside from seeing himself, Cody thought he saw Zack as well. Cody quickly blinked and shook his head, eliminating the image in front of him. Next Cody grabbed a black tank top and changed into a pair of black cargo pants. He slid his favorite fingerless gloves on, but decided to leave his baseball cap behind. Finally he grabbed his tools, tucked his trusted knife into a side pocket, and headed out.

For no particular reason, Cody decided to go back to the location of the Tipton's memorial engraving. "I've got all night," Cody said to himself. "What's the rush?" He headed over to the subway station and flipped a couple of coins into the ticket machine before heading down to the platform, where luckily he didn't have to wait long because the subway was almost ready to pull away. "Gotta love my timing," Cody smiled to himself. He slid his sunglasses on and walked into the subway car.

Once on the subway, Cody spotted the same guy as the last time. He was also obviously extremely drunk, from the way he was slumped against his seat. The man meant nothing to him, he was just some low life, so Cody simply sat down, not paying him any mind. The situation however wasn't the same for the man, who remembered Cody well.

"What do you want?" The man snapped, tightening his grip on the bottle in his hand. "If you want any news, sorry I'm fresh out! Or do you just want to dump my bottle over again?"

Cody shifted his eyes before turning his attention elsewhere. The man was obviously drunk again. Cody simply shook his head slightly and ignored him. "Does he live here or something?" Cody muttered to himself, then he decided he didn't actually care enough to figure out the answer and pushed the thought from his mind.

"What's wrong?" The man said. before he walked up to Cody and pushed his shoulder. "Come on tough guy."

Cody sighed. "I'd highly advise you to go back to your seat," Cody muttered in a dangerous voice. "Before I do something you'll regret." Behind his sunglasses, Cody shifted his eyes around. The car was barely populated given the time of night, so if things turned ugly, Cody wouldn't have anything to worry about. His hand crept closer and closer towards his knife.

The man's bloodshot eyes stared at Cody. Sweat began to drip down his face as his "bravery" disappeared as he stared at Cody's expressionless face. Fear grew within him as he took a large swig of his drink. Finally he decided that he didn't want another confrontation and backed off. What if Cody actually decided to kill him this time? He gulped as he opened his mouth to speak again. "You do know what you did was uncalled for right?"

"Do you think I care?" Cody coolly replied. After a period of silence, the man was about to reply but a screech caught Cody's attention instead as the subway came to a stop. "I don't suggest you cross my path again." Cody finished as he turned and walked off the subway.

Cody walked out of the station and looked around as he headed back through the park and back towards the site where the Tipton had once been. Memories flowed through his head as he made his way over. Cody tried to shut them out and shake them from his thoughts, but the more he tried, the more they came. Memories of the days when he and Zack would cause trouble, memories of his old, caring nature. Cody grabbed his hair and shook his head furiously. "NO! This is my life now!" He yelled, his voice ringing through the deserted park. "I'm not going to give in! I'll never give in! NEVER!" He continued to yell, breathing heavily. Finally Cody cleared his mind and continued forward until he reached the site of the Tipton's engraving. Cody just stared at it, instead of trying to remember his childhood, he tried to forget it as he had for the past 3 years. Cody slid down the glass and sat down on the ground, slowly but surely, he finally succeeded in pushing atleast some of the memories away.

Suddenly, Cody heard a yell coming from one alleyway over. He looked up, normally the noise didn't phase him, but for some reason, this time it was different. He couldn't figure it out, but for some reason, Cody felt curious. He got up and walked over to where the noise had come from. Peering down the alleyway, Cody could see two figures. "Just someone getting mugged," he muttered. Cody turned to walk away but again for the same strange reason, his legs refused to obey him. It felt like it was his duty to help whoever it was.

"GET OFF ME!" A yell came from the scene.

"It's none of my business," Cody told himself until he heard the voice again. "Whoever it is, is doing just fine on their own." Cody commented as he observed whoever was being mugged was definitely putting up a good fight, but was just getting overpowered. Cody motioned to walk away again, but that feeling of obligation refused to die. "Oh come on!" He muttered to himself as he rolled his eyes. He began to stealthily move towards the scene.

Quickly and quietly, Cody moved into position, clutching his knife in his hand. "HEY YOU!" Cody yelled when he was close enough. The mugger spun around to meet Cody's fist right to his face. He stumbled back, dropping his victim. Not wasting any time, Cody followed up with a sharp blow to the mugger's stomach before finally swinging his knife forward. The mugger collapsed to the ground as red began to flow from his mid-section.

"You'll be fine," Cody muttered to person who had been attacked as whoever it was got up.

"I can handle myself!" A female response snapped. Cody's eyes twisted, the voice seemed familiar, but he just couldn't remember where he had heard it before.

"Yea whatever," Cody said as he wiped his knife on his newest victim's clothes. "I guess thanks isn't in your vocabulary. But anyway its dangerous out here, what the hell are you thinking?" Finally as she turned, Cody got a good look at the person who he had helped, as she also got a good look at him.

"Do I know you?" The girl asked him. The girl stared at him closer, her eyes beginning to grow.

"I doubt it," Cody replied coolly. "And it would probably be best for you to forget me." Cody continued to look at her and in the faint light saw that she also had a strand of purple hair that fell in front of her eye. Cody didn't like the fact that she kept looking at him, and began to leave. A feeling he couldn't fight however was that she also was very familiar.

"C-Cody?" The girl said finally. "Is that you?"

"Yes, my name is Cody," Cody said. "And again, it would be best if-" Suddenly his voice stopped as a memory hit him like a brick wall. He spun around to face her again. "R-Rhuben?"

"Yes, that's my name," Rhuben replied.

"Is your sister named Riley?" Cody asked, his curiosity growing.

"Yes," Rhuben said. "And your brother's name was Zack." She looked into Cody's eyes as he continued to stare into hers. "It is you, the boy from the orphanage."

"Yea that's right," Cody replied coolly, hating the mention of either Zack or the orphanage. He turned to leave. "Nice seeing you again," Cody muttered, he had his answer. It had been a nice little reunion, but he had a mission to complete. Suddenly he heard a groan from the mugger. Without thinking, Cody whipped around and flung his knife forward, silencing the mugger once and for all. He shook his head as walked forward and ripped the knife out, cleaned it again, and put it away.

Rhuben's jaw dropped when she saw this. "Did you just?" She asked almost breathlessly.

"Yes, I killed him," Cody said with a sigh.

"WHAT?" Rhuben said in shock. She remembered the boy from the orphanage, the passive, caring Cody she got the chance to meet. "Cody? Since when did you start..." Her voice broke, she couldn't believe what she just saw.

"Start what?" Cody asked innocently, his hand still near his knife.

"I can't believe it," Rhuben said. "Cody how could you?"

"It's quite simple really," Cody replied as he tapped his knife. "But again I'd suggest you forget what you just saw and forget me as well."

Rhuben stared at him. "Cody, what's happened to you?"

"I learned what this world is really like, and I've won," Cody replied calmly.

"You've changed Cody," Rhuben said as she backed away. She just couldn't believe her eyes. She had remembered what Cody was like when he was with her at the orphanage and when they had runaway. What could have happened to turn him into the cold figure facing her?

"So I have," Cody said, his hand firmly on his knife. "So forget me." He whipped out his knife and held it up to her. "You got it? Forget me, forget who I was, forget who I am. I'm not that weak, helpless child anymore, got it?" He pressed the knife into her throat, but not enough to cut her.

"You've changed Cody..." Rhuben said. "I thought you were stronger than that." She looked into his eyes. They were cold dark holes showing absolutely no remorse for anything he had done.

Suddenly a recent memory entered Cody's mind, the voice ringing loudly in his ears.

"_Look what you've become! Giving in was exactly what you did. You destroyed the person I loved. Killing and torturing people? Stealing and hurting others just to amuse yourself? That's not the Cody I knew. The Cody I knew never would have thought of doing any of that. No, the brother I loved died a long time ago."_

Cody stared back at her for a moment before slowly pulling the knife away. She was right, Zack was right. He had given in. Finally the truth fully sank into him. He looked down at his hands again, the same hands that had ended the lives of so many people, the same hand that held his favorite killing tool. Zack had been right all along, and he knew he couldn't deny or shut it out any longer. He thought about the eyes on so many of his victims, the last pleading look many gave him before he silenced them forever. Slowly, Cody backed up, shock overwhelming his body. "I'm sorry," Cody muttered in a voice that was barely audible. Breathing heavily, he slowly let himself down until he was sitting. The whole time his body shook badly. "What have I done?" Cody continued. "I killed them. I killed Tony...I killed the Lorenttis. Everyone else...the guy on the subway. All the others I turned in for cash. What had any of them ever done to me? I just took my own problems out on them. Zack was right..." Rhuben stared at him in horror. "He was right, I did give in. I-I..."

"Good luck Cody," Rhuben said, unable to take in everything he had just said, plus what he had just done. With that she began to slowly walk out of the alley.

Cody continued to blankly stare at the ground as tears began to form in his eyes. He couldn't face her. "I-I-I'm s-so s-s-sorry Rhuben," he said as he began to sob. "I almost killed you too." He began to slide over and had to use his arms for support. "I deserve to die...I deserve to die!"

Finally Cody looked straight up at the night sky. "I'M SORRY ZACK! PLEASE! I'M SORRY! DON'T HATE ME! I LOVE YOU BIG BROTHER!" Cody yelled out into the night air. "I'm so weak, I couldn't even keep my promise." Cody continued to tense up. "ZACK YOU WERE RIGHT! ZACK! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!" Cody looked back down. "I just want to die," he said, meaning it with all he was. "I just want to die. I want to die…"

"That can be arranged."

Cody looked up and saw a black gun barrel sitting just inches from his face. He recognized the person holding the gun, it was Miles. "Let's go!" Miles said, moving the barrel closer so it just barely touched Cody's head between his eyes.

* * *

**Please Read and Review**


	19. Erase Myself, and Let Go Of

**Chapter 19: Erase Myself, and Let Go Of**

Cody looked down the gun barrel and up at Miles as he slowly got up, his hands in the air. Miles followed his movement, keeping the gun against Cody's head as the boy slowly stood up. "Get moving," Miles growled, his eyes staring into Cody's. Cody could tell he was anxious to pull the trigger, but knew he couldn't. Miles was obviously on orders to bring him somewhere alive or else Cody would have been dead already.

Despite his anguish, Cody attempted to force a smile. "Go ahead and do it," Cody muttered. He looked at Miles. "After all I can't fight back, go ahead. I got nothing to lose." Cody shifted his eyes scanning Miles'. Judging by Miles' demeanor, despite how badly he wanted to kill, he couldn't. All he could do was make Cody come with him. It was a technique Cody had often used and could recognize when it was used on him.

Miles stayed quiet however, as Cody did as he was told. The two walked forward to a black car. "Get in," he grumbled. Miles was now behind him, so he held the gun against the back of Cody's head.

"You want to do it, don't you?" Cody said. However, despite the calm collected face Cody attempted to put off, there was a quiver in his voice. It wasn't from the gun Miles was threatening him with. Cody had been faced with death many times, nor did he really care if he was killed. Cody was still attempting to overcome the recent shock he had received. It still surged through him, ripping his very being, just as the death of his family had three years earlier. Despite all this, there was no way Cody was going to act weak in front of Miles. "You have until three…" Cody said.

Miles opened the door and pressed the gun a little harder against Cody's head. Cody could feel Miles pushing the gun's barrel through his hair so it firmly touched Cody's head.

"One…"

"Get in," Miles repeated.

"Two…"

"NOW!" Miles almost shouted.

"Three!" Cody whipped around and attempted to grab at the gun, hoping the surprise of his movement would catch Miles off guard as it had so many others. However, since Cody's state of mind was far from its usual calm and collected nature, his speed and timing were way off. Instead of concentrating on his opponent, Cody could only think about Zack and what he had just done to Rhuben. The thoughts clouded his mind, making even the simplest task nearly impossible.

Seeing Cody's movement, Miles made his move. He quickly retracted the gun and swung it up above his head, causing Cody's slow, clumsy attempt to grab at it to miss. Also for a second, Cody seemed to be off balance as he recoiled from his futile attack. Miles was able to easily capitalize on the opportunity. He swung the butt of the gun right at the back of Cody's head and with full force, scored a direct hit.

Cody grunted loudly as the butt of the gun impacted his skull. There was an explosion of pain that surged through his whole head. The pain didn't last long though, as Cody's world almost instantly began to spin. He quickly lost feeling as his eyes began to roll, the world around him rapidly fading to black. About a half second later, Cody lost his balance as he slipped into darkness. Unconscious, Cody fell to the ground, a small trail of blood leaking from where Miles had hit him.

"Stupid little boy," Miles said as he lifted Cody's limp body into the car and drove away.

* * *

"We're here. GET UP!"

Cody could hear Miles voice, but it was faint and distant. Barely conscious, Cody slowly began to come to. His head hurt badly, and it also seemed to dance on his shoulders as Cody's mind re-centered itself. Slowly, Cody opened his eyes. There was two of everything in front of him. One copy of each item slowly circled around the other before the two images finally merged together.

The seat Cody was rested on was very scratchy, causing his arms to itch, badly. Cody attempted to move his hands, but couldn't. A second later, he realized they were tightly bound together behind his back. Cody slightly shook his head in disgust; this guy probably had no idea what he was doing. Cody moved to attempt to bring his arms around his legs, so he could control them again. A sharp pain in his neck however ended that effort. Cody then realized something, there was another bounding around his neck also and it was attached to the one around his hands. "Looks like he's smarter than I gave him credit for." Cody muttered to himself.

"GET MOVING!" Cody heard Miles order as he filled Cody's vision. He grabbed Cody by his shirt and threw the boy out of the car, causing Cody to land hard on the pavement below him. His knees hit first, followed by the rest of him, and finally his face painfully met the sidewalk below him. Cody tasted blood as he grunted from the impact. The pain was minor, he told himself as it began to subside. He completely ignored the feeling from the scrapes on his knees and shoulders as they didn't cause enough pain to get his attention. Forcefully, he spat the blood out of his mouth as he collected himself.

"Some host you are," Cody said softly, but loud enough for Miles to hear him. He saw Miles glaring down at him as Cody forced himself to stand up. Miles continued to glare at him, his eyes holding a look of complete hunger and madness. Cody could tell he probably wanted to reach over and strangle him now, although Cody was unsure of the reason Miles seemed so upset with him, even though Cody knew from the last time they met, that Miles that he didn't like him at all. Then another reason came to Cody's mind.

"Unless he figured out like I did that I was the one who killed him." Cody said to himself Miles pushed him inside and followed him up the stairs.

"MOVE!" Miles said, pushing Cody forward on the stairs. It was all Cody could do not to lose his balance and fall forward. Finally they were at the top. Miles pulled out his gun again and pointed it at Cody. "I'd love to do this, but the boss wants to see you first."

"Wow, I feel so sorry for you," Cody replied with a roll of his eyes. He added insult to injury by placing excessive emphasis on the "so sorry."

Miles growled again as he opened the door, before pushing Cody inside. The familiar dull lighting caught his attention as did Travis's barks. Neither helped the pain in his head however, but he had already begun to force the feeling out of himself. Physical pain was something he was used to, and after awhile, it had become easy to ignore. Mental pain however Cody learned was much different, and despite his best efforts, he still couldn't fully clear his mind. He knew that was the reason he was captured. He also knew unless he could figure out a way to clear his mind soon, he was dead.

Once they were inside, Miles forcefully stopped Cody in his tracks by grabbing the rope that connected his hands to his neck. Cody coughed and gagged momentarily as the rope around his neck dug into his throat.

The dog looked over and saw Cody. Remembering the last time, Travis quickly stopped barking as he turned back around and lay down next to his master's chair. Cody glanced around. Off to his right, he saw Candy glaring at him from the couch, she also looked at him like he was death itself. In front of him, Cody saw Kyle sitting in his chair. Even though the chair was facing the opposite direction, Cody could see one of his hands resting on the arm rest, the other one reaching over and lightly petting his dog.

"So it appears this is why bounty hunters are considered the absolute lowest form of scum this city can turn up," Kyle said as he got up out of his chair and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He downed the glass's contents in one gulp before setting the glass down and walking over to Cody. He icily looked into Cody's eyes before he wound up and smacked Cody across the face. "Treacherous snake," Cody heard him say as he head jolted over to the side. Using the rope behind Cody, Miles held the boy in place. Next Kyle reached over and grabbed Cody by the chin. "You kill my beloved son, and then pretend to help me as you steal my money. And here I was, thinking you were actually a real man, one that could solve my problem." Kyle forcefully let go of Cody as he walked back over to the table and poured himself another glass.

Throughout the entire situation, Cody remained silent as he watched Kyle's movements. He wasn't going to beg for his life. He wasn't going to plead, telling Kyle he had no idea it was his son. No, he was stronger than that, and he was going to prove it, right now.

"Of course," Kyle said. "You bounty hunters all think you are so smart, so you are probably trying to guess how I found out. Well, had my man not overheard your little 'confession' to your little friend, your little charade may have succeeded." Kyle made air quotes as he said 'confession,' before he poured himself another glass and sucked it down as quickly as the first.

Cody continued to silently watch Kyle's movements.

"Of course," Kyle repeated. "You did prove to have some usefulness as you wiped my out my biggest rivals." He poured another glass. "But your treachery is more than I can stand." He sighed loudly. "I loved that boy…" Kyle finally muttered as he stared off for a second. Finally he looked at Miles. "Punish him," Kyle said and with one final look of disgust at Cody.

Miles pointed his gun at Cody's head again and forcefully pressed it against his temple. Out of the corner of his eye, Cody saw Miles almost seem to smile. "Do it," Cody muttered.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Miles muttered as he cocked the gun. Cody waited for him to pull the trigger. But he never did.

Unexpectedly, Miles quickly wound up his other hand and forcefully flung it forward into Cody's stomach. Cody almost was knocked backwards from the force of Miles' fist slamming into him. Cody grunted loudly as he caught himself before he doubled over, reeling from Miles' blow. Almost instantly upon impact, the wind was knocked out of him. Pain surged through Cody's mid-section as he gasped and coughed. The rope that was also now digging into his wind pipe from his forward movement didn't help either. Cody coughed loudly as he clenched his teeth. Out of his peripheral vision, Cody saw Miles wind up for another blow.

Before Cody could even react, Miles' fist slammed into him again, causing another surge of pain. Cody coughed up a fit of blood as he continued to gasp for breath. He felt dizzy. He barely had enough time to collect himself before Miles punched him in the same spot again.

Cody fell forward on his knees, doubled over; he continued to fight for air. He coughed loudly as his muscles tensed up from the pain, making breathing even harder for him. He groaned. Despite the shroud of pain however, in the distance, Cody could almost hear music, even though the lyrics coming out of Kyle's radio were soft and hard for him to make out.

**I'll face myself,**

**To cross out what I've BECOME**

Miles swung his foot forward and kicked Cody again in the stomach. Unable to bear the pain any longer, Cody finally cried out as he fell completely to the dusty floor. He rested his head against the cool wooden surface. Time almost seemed to slow down as Zack's voice also entered his head again.

"_Cody, you are spiraling down fast, and no ones going to be there when you crash."_

"_Good! I don't need anyone!" _

Then in his mind, Cody almost thought he heard Zack's voice adding to his last point, as if he hadn't said all that he wanted last time. _"I'm sorry little brother, I wish I could save you, but I can't. You can't be saved."_

"Zack," Cody coughed out to himself through the agony that burned within him. "Please, help me. Please big brother, please help me…please…" At no point in his entire life had Cody wished more that Zack was at his side, that Zack would protect him. He knew Zack couldn't help him though…no body could help him. This was the pain he had caused so many others, the suffering he had forced on them. Now it was his turn to feel it. "Zack…please…help…me…" Cody continued to beg Zack for help that would never come.

He was entirely on his own, alone, exactly as he had wanted it.

**Erase myself, and let go of**

**WHAT I'VE DONE**

Miles grabbed Cody by his shirt and lifted the boy up, before slamming him against the wall. Cody squeezed his eyes shut and tensed up on impact, grunting as it happened. Wood splinters formed from Cody's impact and stuck into the back of his shoulders and arms, causing him more pain. A second later he opened his eyes again and saw Miles getting ready to punch him again. He tensed himself up and waited for the impact. Barely a half second later, Cody felt a burning pain surging through his jaw. Blood erupted in his mouth as the pain continued to grow. But Miles didn't stop there, as he aimed several more jabs at Cody's mouth, causing Cody's head to bounce off the hard wall each time like basketball. Cody felt blood flowing out of his mouth and down his chin. His entire mouth was covered in his blood.

Finally, Miles let Cody fall back to the floor. Despite his pain, Cody held his mouth forward so the blood would drain out instead of falling back into his throat and choking him. He coughed again and again, wishing and praying for death.

"Can you feel it?" Miles said, as he knelt down. He grabbed Cody again, making sure to grab his skin as well as his shirt. He shook the boy to make sure he was listening. "You want to die don't you? Don't worry, I'll kill you soon enough, I just want you to suffer more…" He flung Cody back to the floor.

Cody waited for another blow, but it didn't come, not yet at least. He curled up, sweating and coughing, trying to breathe as he groaned in agony. He continued to hold his eyes shut in pain as his chest heaved. He groaned, unsure of what would happen next. The whole time he continued to mutter to himself. "Zack…I love you…I love you…I'm sorry please big brother…please don't hate me…please…I love you…please don't hate me…please don't hate me…"

A moment later, Miles returned and to Cody's surprise, cut the bindings around his hands as well as the rope that connected his hands and neck. Next he kicked Cody over onto his back with his shoe.

On his back, Cody glanced up at Miles, hoping he would just shoot him. But he wasn't that lucky.

**What I've done**

Miles slammed his foot down hard directly on top of Cody's chest. Cody's eyes turned to shock, thinking his sternum was going to snap on impact. Miles held his foot there and pressed more and more of his weight directly onto Cody's chest. Cody coughed and gulped as breathing became impossible. Every time his lungs attempted to expand to take in some air, the weight of Miles foot caused them to close again. Cody could see Miles smiling as he pressed harder, twisting his foot back and forth, and causing Cody even more pain.

"Ahh! AH!" Cody coughed out as he feebly brought his now free hands over to attempt to get the weight off his chest. "Ah! Ah!" Cody coughed out again as Miles twisted his foot. A moment later, Miles lift his foot up again before slamming it back down on Cody's chest again. Miles pressed down harder, before releasing some weight and putting it back on again, over and over. Cody's ribs felt like a bunch of springboards and he wondered how long it would be before at least one of them would break. Finally Miles shifted all his weight onto Cody, causing his chest to start to cave in. His lungs protested again, still attempting to draw in air, but were completely overpowered by Miles.

Cody groaned loudly as his lungs burned. He couldn't scream, he couldn't even breathe. Miles continued to press harder. Cody's futile breaths grew shorter and soon were almost non-existent. He coughed and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting to suffocate to death.

"I'm sorry Zack…I'm sorry Rhuben" he said to himself.

**Forgiving what I've done**

Suddenly all the weight was off of him. "W-what?" Cody muttered, dazed as he caught his breath. Through blurry vision it looked like someone his age had somehow saved him. He saw Miles stumble back and both Kyle and Candy jump in surprise. Groaning Cody slowly and shakily got to his feet with someone's help. He looked up and although he was barely able to make out whom it was.

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

"Z-Zack?" Cody muttered, but he knew it wasn't Zack's voice. His vision returning, he saw it was Rhuben…and it had been Riley that had freed him.

Cody knew however they didn't have much time. Like the night they had run away from the orphanage, he knew unless they acted fast, Kyle, Candy, and Miles would kill them all. As he had trained himself, Cody took a few deep breaths and quickly collected himself, adrenaline surging through his veins. Some of the pain began to subside as he focused his attention on the situation. He stumbled for a few steps as he looked up. Unlike before, his mind was clear and he was ready for action.

"Take Riley and go," Cody said, grasping his knife with one hand as he held his chest with his other. "I'll take it from here." Rhuben looked at him with a raised eyebrow, but he was certain. He could see Miles had almost recovered, and that Kyle was already about to take action. As fast and accurately as he could, Cody flung his knife but due to his injuries, was unable to provide enough force for it to be a killing blow. Also Miles was fast himself, and instead of killing him, the knife just grazed him. The cut however was still deep enough to cause a large amount of blood to flow, the knife also kept going and sliced through one of the thick wires by heating unit, causing it to spark wildly. Cody's eyes widened as he realized that it was an old fashioned model with its own gas pipe right next to it. They didn't have much time.

Straining and running on adrenaline, Cody then leapt into action against Kyle, who had recovered from the shock of Riley's attack and was down bearing down on her, about to pull his gun out. Cody grabbed Kyle's hand from behind, the same hand that was holding the gun. This caused the gun to fire harmlessly into the ceiling. Candy screamed as Riley covered her face when the gun went off. Catching Kyle off guard, Cody pulled Kyle's arm behind him, twisting it in the process. All the while however, Cody made sure to stay out of the barrel's deadly path as the gun went off again.

Staying low, Riley quickly moved behind Kyle by Cody. She punched Kyle hard in the back of the neck, causing him to fall forward. Acting on the opportunity, Cody gave his arm a final twist, and now had control of the gun. He fired it into Kyle, causing his body to twitch. A second shot and Kyle stopped moving forever.

Miles growled at Cody when he saw this. "I'll see you in hell!" he said. At that moment, one of the sparks caught the tapestry as well as the area rug. Fire quickly spread throughout the room. Cody put his arm up to block his face from the intense heat. His attention was on the metal pipe that supplied the heater with gas and was wondering how long it would be before the pipe melted and the whole works exploded.

"Go," Cody said to Riley through several deep breaths. He used his body to shield them as he moved back. Rhuben also moved behind him as he continued to help the girls to the door. "Get downstairs as fast as you can, call the police." Cody glanced back, he knew this wasn't over yet. "Whatever happens, don't wait for me, just get out of the building. Understood?" He gave them the same look he had three years earlier. Rhuben opened her mouth to argue, but Cody was final. "Go!" Cody said one last time before going back into the room, to make sure neither Candy nor Miles could attack them. Candy however also bolted for the stairs, just making it past Cody before he took action. He knocked her back into the wall. Riley and Rhuben dodged her as she fell down the stairs. Both were still reluctant to leave Cody though.

A moment later, Cody turned his attention back to Miles who was beginning to recover and was making a move for the gun that lay on top of Kyle's motionless body. "You tried to kill me, bad move…" Cody said cracking a grin. "You must have thought it was real funny, beating up a child...Or maybe having your foot on my chest like that. Again, bad move..."

A quick judge on the distance both he and Miles had to go and the way the flames were, Miles would easily reach the gun first. But Cody also knew he was faster.

Both Miles and Cody bolted for the gun and ended up grabbing it at the same time. Both swung it back and forth. Cody's teeth were clenched as he strained, knowing the only things that weres allowing him to keep up with Miles were his adrenaline and Miles' injury. Each moved around the other, attempting to gain control as the gun went off a few more times. Cody's eyes widened as he realized where one of the bullets went, into the gas pipe. He knew what was coming next as one of the flames got sucked into the pipe, and the worst part was, he was too far from the door to make it back. His only hope was the window.

Cody bolted for the window just seconds before a massive explosion filled the room with an intense fire ball. Cody heard Miles scream as Miles became engulfed by the flames. Cody had almost reached the window and was thrown out through the glass. He grunted as the glass shattered all around him. Opening his eyes in mid air, Cody saw a balcony that lead to a fire escape. At the last second, Cody's hand wrapped around the black metal bar. He swung back towards the building as flames flew above him.

Just like at the Tipton, an intense fireball merged with the building. Acting fast, Cody let himself fall to the next level, where he landed flat on his back. He coughed and gulped on impact, but knew he had to keep going. Adrenaline surged through him as he got back up and bolted down the fire escape. Finally at a safe height he leapt down to the ground, where he collapsed.

"CODY!" Cody turned to see Riley and Rhuben. Each helped him up.

"Thank God you're ok!" Rhuben said. She gave him a hug and then pulled away to look at Cody's injuries. For the next few minutes however, her and her twin had to help him stay standing before he was finally able to stand on his own.

"I'm fine," Cody replied, reassuring Rhuben as she let go of him. "How about you guys?

"We're ok," Riley replied confidently.

"Rhuben, look, I'm sor-" Cody began but she looked at him, her eyes saying to shut up and not worry about it. Next Cody asked."How'd you know where to find me?"

"Well at first," Riley said. "I wanted to find you so I could kill you, but Rhuben made me promise not to," She glanced at him over to Rhuben and back to him. "It was also Rhuben who led the way."

Cody looked at Rhuben, his eyes questioning her. She sighed. "I don't know, I somehow knew where to go, like you had a guardian angel telling me directions or something."

Inside, Cody smiled. "Thanks Zack," he muttered softly so the girls couldn't hear him. He knew somehow his big brother was still looking out for him and had saved him.

In the distance they could hear sirens rushing to the scene.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who have read this chapter already, I changed the ending of this chapter alittle bit. Please Read and Review.**


	20. What I've Done

**(A/N: To get the full effect of this chapter, start playing the song "What I've Done" while reading. Start playing the song 1 paragraph before the lyrics appear in the chapter.)**

**Chapter 20: What I've Done**

"That one's going to hurt tomorrow," Cody said with a small smile as he also looked over his injuries. During the fight, as he had trained himself, he kept his mind entirely on the situation, despite the resulting physical pain. The adrenaline that had been surging within him throughout the fight against Miles allowed him to accomplish this. Now that the adrenaline within him began to wear off however, Cody began to feel very sick and weak. He also started to wonder what kind of damage he had actually suffered from Miles. Several times Cody would have to put his hands on his knees momentary for support. He felt like he wanted to throw up, but did his best to keep the feeling forced down.

"You really should see a doctor about some of these," Rhuben said, as she came across one of the more severe burns Cody had on his shoulder. She also motioned to a few of the bruises and injuries Cody had. Her, Cody, and Riley also inspected some of the other burns Cody had gotten from the flames during the later part of his fight against Miles.

"Its fine," Cody replied as he brushed it. Rhuben shook her head as she looked at the other red patches on Cody's skin as well as the various char marks he had accumulated. Also with Riley and Rhuben's help, Cody began to get the splinters that had stuck in him out. Since Cody's sweat had mixed with the dust and dirt on him, this became a long and painful process. Riley stood by and watched. She also scanned the street as the distant sirens grew closer and closer.

Cody tried several times to pull away again but Rhuben was final. "I'm fine, don't worry about it," Cody said with a frustrated tone, rolling his eyes. He continuously became more and more anxious as the sirens continued to draw closer. By the sound of the approaching sirens, he figured there fire and rescue on its way as well as the police, but that didn't matter to him. Despite the fact that Rhuben was probably right about his need of medical attention, he knew it was in his best interest to remain as clear of the police as possible, even if it meant treating his injuries himself. As the sounds grew louder, Cody became more uneasy and wanted to leave as soon as possible. Also growing frustrated, Rhuben glared at him, telling him to stay put. She stared directly into his eyes as she tightened her grip around his arm. Finally with a sigh, Cody gave in. "Fine, just hurry up." Cody mumbled.

Nearby, none of the kids had noticed that someone else had also made it out of the building. After recovering from her fall down the stairs, Candy had been able to limp out of the building soon after Riley and Rhuben had escaped from the burning building. Candy had also heard the sirens and began to steadily move away from the scene. However as she came around the building to walk away, the corner of her eye caught Cody, Riley and Rhuben standing on the other side of the inferno.

"You bastards..." Candy grumbled, full of anger and hatred. Now that Kyle was dead, she had no idea what she was going to do, was worried that without the protection that association with Kyle brought, she might fall victim to one of Kyle's other rivals. When Miles also hadn't come out of the building, she concluded that Cody had killed him also. "I'll get them for you brother," Candy muttered under her breath, vowing to Miles, her now dead brother. She glanced up at the building as the picture also filled her mind. She shook with anger. "I'll kill them..." she said, her hand sliding onto her own firearm, she began to move into position.

"Look thanks, but-" Cody began but was cut off by the approaching flashing lights and sirens. "Great," he muttered under his breath. Cody had been right about the other sirens and with Rhuben's direction; he began to move back towards the approaching ambulance while Riley walked over to meet the police. With Cody's full attention on remaining as suspicious as possible around the police, Rhuben's attention on him, and Riley busy with the head police officer, all three of them were completely unaware of the danger looming nearby.

Stealthily, Candy braced herself and brought the gun up to take aim. Initially, she hesitated, not knowing which to shoot first. Finally she made a decision.

"Since you saved him, you can die first..." Candy said, pointing the gun at Rhuben. She didn't care that they were surrounded by the police, as she thought she could easily bolt out the opposite end of the alleyway and escape. She raised the gun again continued to carefully aim to ensure her shot would hit its mark. She would only have to move the barrel over slightly to hit Cody with the next shot. Neither would ever know what hit them.

One of the rescue workers jumped out of the ambulance and met the waiting kids. After seeing the burns and marks on Cody, he turned his attention to him first. "What's your name?" The rescue worker asked Cody.

"Zack," Cody replied, knowing that with a fake name, they wouldn't be able to track him through their records after he decided to escape. Also he knew that by using his brother's name, he would probably come up as "dead" when they attempted to search for him. As for when to make his move, he would just have to wait until the time was right to do so.

"Zack...what?" The rescue worker said as he began to scribble the information down.

"Zack..." Cody began again. His voice fell as he turned his attention to Riley and the police officers, wondering what exactly she was telling them. From what he remembered about Riley, she wouldn't turn him in, so he didn't have to worry about that, he just needed to know what details she was explaining to make sure that she didn't tell them too much.

"Zack what?" The worker repeated, this time slightly annoyed.

Cody began to shift his eyes back towards the rescue worker when something else caught his eye. It was Candy. A second later he realized that she was aiming something at them and was about to fire. After moving his eyes from her to figure out the object's trajectory, he concluded where the projectile would land...in Rhuben. Rhuben was the only thing in Cody's mind...she had saved him both now and back three years ago...he wasn't about to let her fall victim to a sneaky, under-handed, shot.

Acting fast, Cody shouted "LOOK OUT!" as he flung Rhuben behind him. Cody's move had surprised Candy as well, messing up her aim slightly as she pulled the trigger twice.

"Wha-" Rhuben began and she attempted to catch herself, also completely caught off guard by Cody's action. Her surprised eyes watched Cody as the ground rushed towards her. Time seemed to slow down as initially shock and resulting anger began to fill her, but then she heard the two shots go off. Each left a continuous ringing sound in her ears. "CODY!" She yelled as she reached out to catch herself against the ground.

Cody clenched his teeth as he waited for the next few milliseconds for the bullet to hit him. Cody never even heard the gun go off. He knew it was over when almost instantly he felt what seemed to be a forceful punch to his chest and to his abdomen.

**(A/N: Start playing song introduction here)**

The police had also heard the shots and within a matter of seconds several officers scattered to arrest Candy and secure the area.

Recovering, Rhuben quickly got up...Cody was still standing. "Let it have missed, please..." Rhuben desperately thought to herself. Why would he do that? Why would he take a bullet for her?

Cody glanced over his shoulder, one of his hands on his chest, the other was on his abdomen. Moments later, each was completely red. Through blurred vision, Cody looked at Rhuben. "You...ok?" he asked as he attempted to crack a small smile. Rhuben looked at Cody, stunned, as his body began to sway. Without thinking, Rhuben and the rescue worker quickly bolted forward to catch Cody before he hit the concrete.

Once Riley determined that she hadn't been hit, she bolted towards Rhuben and Cody, not caring if future shots hit her. Her sister became the sole occupant of her mind. "Rhuben!" Riley yelled when she got close. Once realized Rhuben was fine, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"We got a hit over here!" The rescue worker yelled to his colleagues as he tore through his gear to grab a cloth to stop Cody's bleeding. "Come on kid, stay with me…" he said comfortingly to Cody. Once the rest of the rescue workers got there, they moved to get Cody onto a stretcher and into the ambulance as quickly as possible. Soon Riley and Rhuben were separated from him by the sea of rescue workers and fire fighters. Finally Rhuben was able to push through, and after some further resistance, were allowed to ride in the ambulance. A final glance out the back window told the two girls that Candy had been caught by the police. They watched as the officers shoved her into a patrol car until the ambulance finally sped around another corner, causing the scene to disappear from sight.

"Cody!" Rhuben said looking back at the weakened boy lying in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw him spit blood into the breather the medics had put in his throat. "Be ok, come on Cody, fight through," she continued to hope to herself.

Cody barely heard her voice as it merged with the sounds from all the doctors around him, quickly hooking him up to IV machines, trying to stop his bleeding, and fighting to keep him alive. Along with the sound of the doctors and Rhuben's voice, Cody thought he could hear something else. Faint music from somewhere reached his ears, although he could barely make out the lyrics, he knew somehow they were describing him. He almost smiled as his eyes closed and his mind began to drift away.

**In this farewell,**

**There's no blood,**

**There's no alibi.**

'**Cause I've drawn regret,**

**From the truth,**

**Of a thousand lies.**

"Come on stay with us kid..." one doctor said.

"Don't die on us..." another added.

Once at they arrived at South Boston Hospital, the workers rushed Cody inside to the emergency room. They hooked him up to a breather as well as a life sign monitor. Despite their resistance, Riley and Rhuben were forced to stay in the waiting room. In order for them to still help Cody, they filled out the proper paper work for him with what information about him they knew. Once this was completed, each constantly paced around the waiting room, unable to sit still for any length of time.

**So let mercy come,**

**And wash away…**

Despite the new atmosphere however, the song continued to play out in Cody's mind. The last thing he saw before his vision began to fade to black was a bright light and the white surroundings that made up the emergency room.

**What I've Done.**

**I'll face myself,**

**To cross out what I've become.**

**Erase myself,**

**And let go of what I've done.**

"He's fading!"

"Come on kid! Fight it! Come on!"

"We're losing him!"

The voices of everyone around Cody continued to grow fainter and almost seemed to blend together with the sounds of the emergency room. He didn't even feel any more pain. In fact, he was filled with an almost peaceful feeling, like everything was ok. He was also perfectly ok if he were to die right then because he would have sacrificed himself to save someone he cared about, just like Zack had done for him. Cody also knew that by doing so, no longer was he the feared, cold-hearted bounty hunter he had come to be known as. Nor was he any longer the cunning, ruthless assassin he had allowed himself to become. When he sacrificed himself to save Rhuben, that personality within him was finally destroyed forever.

**Put to rest,**

**What you thought of me.**

**While I clean this slate,**

**With the hands,**

**Of uncertainty.**

Once again, Cody was the caring, sensitive boy who had been lost for the past three years. His kind, caring nature had finally overpowered the evil that had reigned within him. "Zack…" Cody said softly to himself. "Please forgive me…I know I was wrong, you were right…thank you for saving me…I…love…you…I'm sorry about my promise…please…forgive…me"

"Heart rate's dropping…"

"60…50 beats…"

"He's still losing blood…get another IV in here STAT…"

Just as Cody's physical strength had, Cody's mind began to fade away…any worldly noises including the doctor's voices became barely recognizable and extremely distant.

"We're NOT going to lose him…lose…him…lose…"

"Come…come…on…come…stay…with…us…stay…with us…"

**So let mercy come,**

**And wash away…**

Cody knew he was dying as he felt himself continue to grow weaker and weaker. His feeble breaths became shorter and each time he breathed out, more blood than air seemed to escape him. He could barely even feel his own limbs, let alone have any control over them. He also knew it would only be a matter of time before he completely succumbed to death.

"Bullets are out. Come on kid! Don't you quit on us!"

Cody knew there was still a lot going on around his body, but he couldn't hear the doctor's commands or pleas to him to stay alive. "Zack…I…love…you…" Cody breathed, and with that, consciousness finally completely slipped from him.

"He's flat lining!"

"Respiratory and Cardiac arrest!"

The doctor placed the charge pads on Cody's seemingly lifeless chest and hit the button.

"Defib and charge to 220! Clear! Come on kid…we're not going to quit on you, don't quit on us…"

Darkness was all Cody saw; nothing was all Cody could feel; all around him fell silent.

**What I've done.**

**I'll face myself,**

**To cross out what I've become.**

**Erase myself,**

**And let go of what I've done.**

"Cody…Cody," A voice said. Unlike the others however, this one came through loud and clear. Cody opened his eyes, but was slow to do so due to the bright environment around him. Everything was white and shined brightly. "Cody," the voice said again.

"I know that voice," Cody said to himself. Slowly, he finally opened his eyes, using his hand to shield his eyes. Facing him, also smiling was Zack. "Zack…am I…?"

"Hi little brother," Zack said ignoring his question. "I see you finally decided to listen to me."

Despite the comfort that Zack's presence brought him, Cody began to tear up, his eyes glistening as tears began to fall. "Zack, I'm so sorry…you were right, I was messed up…I…" Zack walked over and put a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"It's ok Cody," Zack said. "I forgave you already for that, let it go." Cody looked up and smiled again as he wiped his eyes. Zack smiled further as his face formed a mischievious grin. "Or else you would have died long before now."

"I guess you're right," Cody said also smiling. He looked over to the side. "At least she's ok…"

Zack looked at him. "You sacrificed yourself for her," he said as he peered into Cody's eyes. Cody nodded his response. Zack smiled as his eyes glistened. "My little brother is finally back. I'm proud of you Cody, it looks like you were able to keep your promise after all." Cody looked up, surprised. Zack took a deep breath as he continued his explanation. "You could have let her die, but you didn't. Also after I spoke with you that night, I could see the battle going on within you. That's when I knew that despite the fact that you didn't want to admit it at the time, there was still a little bit left of the brother I knew. Not much, but there was still something there."

Cody nodded.

"You didn't want to accept the truth, but finally you did," Zack said. "In doing so you freed yourself from the hate that encompassed you. Unfortunately that was something you had to do on your own. Also all the events earlier were necessary because of what you had done the past three years."

"I was suffering the pain I caused everyone else…" Cody replied. He already knew that. He knew that his beating and getting shot were necessary if he was ever to have some hope of redemption.

"It became hard to watch," Zack said. "But you didn't allow yourself to give in again."

"So you helped Riley and Rhuben save me," Cody said, but his eyes twisted. "Thanks again for saving me _again_, but what was the use if I'm going to die anyway?"

"That's just it Cody," Zack said with a small smile. "It's not your time. You aren't going to die."

Cody looked at him, stunned.

**For What I've Done**

**I start again,**

**And whatever pain may come.**

**Today this ends,**

**I'm forgiving what I've done.**

"I'll be watching over you. I want you to promise me again," Zack said, a serious look fell over his face. "That you will be strong, you'll never again give in like that."

"I promise," Cody replied in his sincerest voice. "I promise Zack."

'It's time for you to go back," Zack as he waved his hand. Cody looked down and saw a circle form between him and Zack. In the circle was his hospital room. He saw his body, and all the equipment he was hooked up to. He also saw a monitor near his bed with several straight lines on it, a zero by each line. Near his bed, Riley and Rhuben were looking at him, both extremely concerned and distressed. There were also several doctors who looked like they had finally given up on him and began to exit.

"I look terrible," Cody said cracking a grin. Zack also smiled.

"For now," Zack replied.

"I guess things do come in threes," Cody said. "This is the third time you've saved my life."

"I'm your big brother," Zack said. "I look out for you, it's just what I do. Even if I'm not there with you, I'm still watching over you all the time. And when your time finally does come, I'll be the first to greet you."

"Thanks," Cody said. He was about step down into the circle, but something else caught his mind first. "How are mom, dad, and all them?"

"They love you," Zack said. "They also want you to live a good life. They'll be waiting for you when your time comes. I just told them they'd haveta deal with me being the first one to come get you."

"How'd they take it?"

"They'll get over it," Zack replied slyly, cracking another smile. For the next few seconds, his smile faded as he looked into his brother's eyes. "It's time Cody," Zack said as a soft wind began to blow on Cody's hair.

Cody nodded. "I love you Zack, I guess I'll see you again eventually." Tears came to his eyes. Before he stepped into the circle though, he gave Zack a hug. "Good bye Zack."

**I'll face myself,**

**To cross out what I've become.**

**Erase myself, and let go of,**

**What I've done.**

"Good bye…Cody," Zack said, growing further and further away. "Good luck…little brother. I…love…you…"

"Thanks for everything Zack…I…love…you…brother," Cody replied in a soft voice as darkness once again enveloped his world. A second later, consciousness began to slowly creep back into him.

**What I've done**.

Beep…Beep….Beep…

"I got a pulse," One of the doctors said suddenly in a very surprised voice.

"What?" Rhuben along with several doctors grew wide eyed as a look at the machinery around Cody showed signs of life. Slowly but surely, his heart and breathing rates began to climb. Everyone around Cody held their breath.

Several moments later, Cody stirred slowly, his eyes fluttered half open. "H-hey…" he said weakly in a faint, barely audible voice.

"Cody! You're alive!" Rhuben said.

"You gave us quite a scare there kid," another doctor said.

"S-sorry," Cody said as he closed his eyes again. A thorough look told the doctors, Riley, and Rhuben that Cody had gone to sleep as he began his recovery.

"Good night Cody," Rhuben muttered softly. She could have sworn that she saw his hand move in response but knew that he was already fast asleep.

For the first time since the New Years Eve Cody would never forget, Cody fell into a sound, relaxing sleep. "Thanks Zack," Cody said to himself again. "Thanks for saving me three times now, thanks for the second chance. I will keep my promise…" He knew Zack would stay true to his word and watch over him. He also knew that it was time for him to let the past go and forgive what he had done.

**Forgiving What I've Done.**

**

* * *

THE END

* * *

Thank you to everyone that read and reviewed this story and stayed with me again (like my other story) despite my snail's pace at updating it. I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it. As always, I only own my own OC's, Riley and Rhuben belong to Darkelements10, Suite Life belongs to Disney, and the song "What I've Done," belongs to Linkin Park (if you haven't listen to it yet it is an absolutely AWESOME song!). As for what happens to Cody when he gets out of the hospital, I'll let you decide that. Also as always if anything is left open, feel free to PM me or leave your question in a review and I'll try to answer it the best I can. Please continue to read and review and a final THANK YOU to all that did.**


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